The supporters of children with fragile X syndrome often report behaviour that challenges as a major concern. The authors of this small-scale, multiple baseline design study set out to explore whether behaviourally-based interventions might result in reductions in problem behaviour and improvements in the quality of life for 3 children with fragile X syndrome and their families.

They set out to look at intervention effects for high-priority contexts in the lives of the children, for example bedtime, running errands and toileting.

They developed a multi-component intervention plan to teach parents and the children how cope better with the particular context.

They discovered that post intervention, there were substantial improvements in the identified problem behaviours and that reports of family quality of life also showed some improvements.

The authors conclude that the results of the study show the effectiveness of behavioural interventions for children with fragile X syndrome

Behavioral Intervention for Problem Behavior in Children With Fragile X Syndrome, Moskowitz, L et al., in  American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities,116, 6, 457-478.