Background: Impairment in initiating joint attention (IJA) is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, although it is unclear when impairments arise. Due to the early development of IJA use and late diagnosis of ASD, groups at high-risk of ASD, such as infants with an older sibling with ASD (ASIBs) and infants with fragile X…

Background: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is the second most prevalent genetic syndrome and has a characteristic academic and behavioural phenotype. The primary objective of the current study was to examine the childhood predictors of written expression achievement in adolescents with 22q11DS. Written expression is an important skill that…

Background: Chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a genetic syndrome characterised by a unique cognitive profile. Individuals with the syndrome present several non-verbal deficits, including visual memory impairments and atypical exploration of visual information. In this study, we seek to understand how visual attention may…

Background: The physical activity level of older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) is extremely low, and their fitness levels are far beneath accepted norms for older people with normal intelligence and comparable with frail older people. A physical activity programme, including an education programme, was developed for older adults with…

Background: Numerous studies have assessed the socio-cognitive profile in Williams syndrome (WS) and, independently, in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). Yet, a cross-syndrome comparison of these abilities between individuals with these two syndromes with known social deficits has not been conducted. Methods: Eighty-two children participated…