Fragile X Syndrome , understanding the challenges

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute will host lectures by Leonard Abbeduto, professor of educational psychology, communicative disorders and psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, on Wednesday, May 9, at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, 2825 50th St., Sacramento.

Abbeduto will speak twice. During a 4 p.m. academic presentation, he will discuss a series of studies that have defined language-related strengths and weaknesses in those with fragile X syndrome, as well as individual and environmental factors that affect language acquisition. At a 6 p.m.
community-interest lecture, he will summarize findings from studies designed to understand the extent and nature of specific communication challenges facing youth and young adults with fragile X syndrome, along with strategies for facilitating communication development. Both presentations are free and open to the public; no reservations are needed.

Abbeduto is associate director for behavioral sciences and director of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of Wisconsin’s Waisman Center. He is known for research on language and communication development in children with intellectual disabilities and, more recently, for his research on the effects of disabilities on families. Abbeduto is currently conducting longitudinal investigations of language problems in adolescent boys and girls with fragile X syndrome and psychological well-being in mothers of adolescents with fragile X syndrome. Abbeduto is a fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Disabilities, and he has received a distinguished teaching award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is president-elect of the Academy of Mental Retardation and co-director of the NIH-funded Gatlinburg Conference on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Abbeduto is the eighth of nine distinguished lecturers in the M.I.N.D.
Institute’s 2006-07 series. His visit is co-sponsored by the UC Davis School of Education. The final speaker in this year’s series is Tony Charman from University College London (June 13).

For more information about this and future lectures, visit the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Web site or call (916) 703-0280. Many previous distinguished lectures are available for viewing on the M.I.N.D. Institute Web site. Visit www.mindinstitute.org, then click on “M.I.N.D. videos.”

The UC Davis M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental
Disorders) Institute is a collaborative center for research on neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, fragile X syndrome, Tourette syndrome and learning disabilities. The  Fragile X Research and Treatment Center at the institute unites scientific research with clinical evaluations  to support medical advances in our understanding of fragile X and to develop interventions that improve the quality-of-life for people with fragile X syndrome.

*UC Davis