Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Contributors -- Preface -- Introduction -- Organization of the book -- Common themes -- Heterogeneity in genes, brain, and behavior -- Comparisons of behavioral phenotypes across disorders -- Paying attention to development in neurogenetic disorders -- References -- Acknowledgments -- Section 1 Connecting genes, brain, and behavior in neurodevelopmental disorders -- 1 Intergenerational effects of mutations in the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene. Fragile X: A model of X-linked mental retardation and neurodegeneration -- Introduction -- Molecular biology of fragile X syndrome -- Spectrum of involvement -- Fragile X syndrome -- The premutation -- FXTAS -- Discovery of FXTAS -- Diagnostic criteria -- Radiological features -- Pathological features -- Treatment -- Cascade testing and screening -- Discussion -- References -- 2 Autism: Genes, anatomy, and behavioral outcome -- Introduction -- Genetics -- Neuroanatomical findings -- Initial outcome studies -- Changes in autistic symptoms -- Stability of early diagnosis -- Adult outcomes -- Subgroups of children with ASDs -- Optimal outcome -- Intervention -- Behavioral interventions -- Developmental interventions -- Social stories -- TEACCH -- Peer training -- Mechanisms of improvement -- References -- 3 Development in spina bifida: Neurobiological and environmental factors -- Introduction -- What is SBM? -- The SBM genotype -- Relations between genotype and physical and neural phenotypes -- The SBM behavioral phenotype in relation to lesion level and environmental factors: Intelligence, academic skills, and adaptive function -- Theoretical questions about typical and atypical development generated from studies of the SBM phenotype -- Core deficits -- Timing -- Attention orienting -- Associative vs. assembled processing -- Reading.

Longitudinal development in SBM from infancy through childhood and into adult life -- Environmental risk and protective factors in the development of children with SBM -- Life-span and longitudinal investigations of mathematical cognition in SBM -- Clinical care and intervention issues -- Conclusions -- References -- Section 2 Genetic disorders and models of neurocognitive development -- 4 Language and communication in autism spectrum disorders -- Introduction -- Early language profiles and predictors of language outcomes -- Follow-up studies: Overlap in ASD and language disorders -- Language processing in ASD and language disorders -- Examination of phenotypic and etiologic overlap between ASD and language disorders -- Overlap in behavioral phenotypes -- Overlap in neural phenotypes -- Etiological overlap -- Summary -- Conclusions and future directions -- References -- 5 Language development in children with Williams syndrome: New insights from cross-linguistic research -- Introduction -- Syntax in Williams syndrome -- New data from the Greek language: Sentence comprehension in Greek children with Williams syndrome -- Participants -- Experimental materials and procedure -- Design and materials -- Procedure -- Results -- Discussion -- References -- 6 Language in Down syndrome: A life-span perspective -- Speech and language development -- Prelinguistic development -- Speech -- Articulatory Problems -- Phonological development -- Lexical Development -- Segmenting -- Constraints on Lexical Learning -- Short-Term Memory -- Lexical Organization in LTM -- Grammar -- Semantic Structural Development -- Morphosyntatic Development -- Pragmatics -- Discourse -- The Critical Period Problem -- Interindividual variability -- Language aging -- Conclusions -- References.

7 Genetic disorders as models of mathematics learning disability: Fragile X and Turner syndromes -- Neurodevelopmental disorders and mathematics learning disability -- Syndrome overview -- Fragile X syndrome -- Turner syndrome -- Williams syndrome -- Framework for studying MLD -- Syndrome models of variation in pathways to MLD -- Sources of variability across groups -- Variability among subtypes of MLD -- Phenotypic variability despite genetic homogeneity -- MLD in fragile X and Turner syndromes -- Prevalence and persistence -- Fragile X syndrome -- Math skills -- Relationship between math and related skills -- Turner syndrome -- Math skills -- Relationship between math and related skills -- Fragile X and Turner syndromes as models of the pathways to MLD -- Math skills -- Relationship between math and related skills -- Exploring the complexity of cognitive correlates of MLD -- Math and Williams syndrome -- Math and Language -- Conclusion -- References -- 8 A developmental approach to genetic disorders -- Introduction -- Different approaches to developmental disorder -- Populations studied -- Examples from early language development -- Number studies -- Face processing -- Conclusions -- References -- 9 The use of strategies in embedded figures: Tasks by boys with and without organic mild mental retardation: A review and some experimental evidence -- The field dependent-independent cognitive style and role of simultaneous and successive processes -- Strategy competencies and deficits in individuals with mental retardation -- Method -- Participants -- Instrumentation -- Instruction -- Scoring -- Results -- Effect of group -- Effect of mental age -- Interactions -- Discussion -- References -- Index.