Fragile X Essay

861 Words2 Pages

Emily Zerona
Mrs. Driscoll
Honors Biology
14 May 2014
Fragile X Syndrome
Fragile X Syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes individuals, mostly men, to develop developmental problems and cognitive impairment. Although men are mostly affected by this disorder, it can affect women as well. Approximately one in four thousand males are affected by Fragile X while only one in eight thousand women are affected (Fragile X syndrome, 2012). Fragile X causes a variety of symptoms such as possible ADD, anxiety, delayed development of speech and language, mild to moderate intellectual disability and hyperactive behavior. Symptoms of Fragile X can start by the age of two, or earlier. Men affected by Fragile X mostly experience mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. Since Fragile X is more common in males, they tend to experience symptoms more than women do. Intellectual disabilities usually only affect about one-third of women that have Fragile X. Children with Fragile X experience anxiety and tend to fidget more than normal or have impulsive actions. Many children may also have ADD which allows them not to be able to focus as much as a normal child would. Behavioral abnormalities are a common feature of Fragile X. Biting at the hands, flailing hands are arms and gaze aversions. When it comes to deficits, they most likely occur in reasoning, processing the environment and mathematics. Individuals with Fragile X may show features of autism, this mainly occurs in only about one-third of individuals with Fragile X. Another symptom of Fragile X is seizures. Again, since Fragile X is more common in males, seizures are more common in males. While only five percent of women experience seizures, about fifteen percent of males experience seizu...

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...e (Diagnosis and Management of Fragile X Syndrome, 2005). Most symptoms of Fragile X can treated with different types of therapy whether it is educational, behavioral, or physical. Certain medicines can also help treat certain symptoms (Fragile X Syndrome, 2013). The life of an individual with Fragile X would not be as easy as a normal individual. Although Fragile X is not that severe, you would still need to be assisted with many daily activities. You would not need 24 hour assistance or assistance with little things such as picking something up and moving it around, but assistance is still recommended whether it be by the family or other certified individuals. The amount of symptoms an individual has also effects how they live. If an individual only experiences a few symptoms, then they will not require as much assistance as someone who experiences more symptoms.

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