General, verbal, and non-verbal cognitive functioning of children and adolescents with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Cognitive dysfunctions are frequently found in the 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, being an aggravating factor in the impairment of social relationships and communication, strongly impacting the functionality of the individual. Increasing the knowledge regarding cognitive skills may provide contributions to the diagnostic process and the intervention planning. Objectives: To estimate the general, verbal, and non-verbal cognitive functioning of children and adolescents with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and case series study regarding 15 individuals between 7-18 years-old diagnosed with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. An assessment of the cognitive functions was performed using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). For data analysis we used a descriptive statistics analysis, having absolute frequencies for variables, and mean, median, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values for numerical variables. Results: In the group analysis, we observed an important cognitive impairment degree. Most of the sampling (n=8; 53.33%) presented a considerably low total intelligence quotient score. Cases showing lower performances also presented greater difficulties regarding Visual Motor and Visuospatial coordination. Regarding the intelligence quotient representative punctuation in the WASI scale, the sample showed a large variability in the results (between 40 and 92 points), with the median total of 83. Conclusions: We observed important dysfunctions, cognitive difficulties, and intellectual, verbal, and non-verbal disabilities in the population studied. These findings indicate the need for an early intervention to assist not only the cognitive aspect, but also the socio-emotional development of children with the 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, aiming at their participation in society.