Can someone with Fragile X have Aspergers?

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AlexWelshman
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01 Nov 2013, 8:56 am

I know that autism is very common among Fragile X, but from what I see; it mainly seems to be Low Functioning autistic peoplle. Is it possible for someone with Fragile X to have Asperger Syndrome? Or High Functioing Autism?



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01 Nov 2013, 8:57 am

I think technically, but it's unlikely as there is usually lowered IQ with Fragile X.


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01 Nov 2013, 9:04 am

AlexWelshman wrote:
I know that autism is very common among Fragile X, but from what I see; it mainly seems to be Low Functioning autistic peoplle. Is it possible for someone with Fragile X to have Asperger Syndrome? Or High Functioing Autism?


No. That's an incompatible diagnosis. If a Fragile X individual has a comorbid autism Dx, then it's the low-functioning variant.


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01 Nov 2013, 9:14 am

fragile x is one of those disabilities that can not be self diagnosed so it is worth getting tested for if self and family believe coud have it.

though have never lived with someone with fragile x who wasnt really obvious and intelectualy disabled-have lived with a number of males diagnosed with it some of them were non autistic,thats the thing with fragile x a lot of people with it are not autistic am gessing have looked into this thogh.


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01 Nov 2013, 11:44 am

Yes, someone with fragile X could have Aspergers and vice versa, someone who has Aspergers could have fragile X.

Fragile X is a genetic condition but one must keep in mind fragile X is very much like autism in that it is a spectrum disorder, individuals could be very high or low functioning. An individual could be mosaic meaning that they do produce some of the missing protein, they have some cells that could be in the normal or carrier range, and some cells that are in the full mutation range. With females since they have two X chromosomes and it will come down to X-activation in each cell, which X is being used it is not uncommon at all for the females to not have any cognitive impairment.

To learn more about fragile X I recommend the following sites:
fragilex.org
fraxa.org
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fxs/

Fragile X can easily be diagnosed, as long as the medical professional runs the "correct" tests, sadly many still use chromosome or microarray analysis which are not accurate in identifying those with a full mutation of fragile X or those who are carriers (they produce far too many false negatives). These tests are only accurate in detecting fragile X when it is the result of the gene being deleted which happens in 1% of the cases.

The FMR1 DNA test (aka fragile X DNA test), is 99% accurate, costs much less than a chromosome or microarray analysis and can typically provide results in 2-4 weeks (depends on the lab). There is also a newer test available which is also very accurate, helpful for those who may have CGG repeats in the intermediate zone (by looking at the AGG repeats they can determine if the gene is stable or at risk for the CGG repeats expanding (which results in fragile X) in future generations.

See: http://www.nomoresouthernblots.com/

If you have any concerns, get tested, keep in mind it is genetic and other conditions such as FXTAS and FXPOI could affect family members who are carriers. Make sure they run the correct tests. Simply rule it in or rule it out.

If you think you've been tested but not sure which test they ran if they didn't provide you with a CGG repeat number then they didn't do the right test.

Good luck.



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01 Nov 2013, 12:29 pm

According to all sources that I have read... Fragile x is often misdiagnosed as autism until proper testing is done... However, autistic spectrum disorders and fragile x cannot be co-morbid conditions.


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Joe90
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01 Nov 2013, 12:46 pm

I knew a girl at secondary school with Fragile-X, and she had more problems with mixing and making friends than I did.


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01 Nov 2013, 1:05 pm

LabPet wrote:
AlexWelshman wrote:
I know that autism is very common among Fragile X, but from what I see; it mainly seems to be Low Functioning autistic peoplle. Is it possible for someone with Fragile X to have Asperger Syndrome? Or High Functioing Autism?


No. That's an incompatible diagnosis. If a Fragile X individual has a comorbid autism Dx, then it's the low-functioning variant.
Fragile X can be quite mild, actually. The clue is in the name--"X". It's on the X chromosome, and females have two of them--essentially a backup copy. Girls with Fragile X will have learning disabilities but usually not intellectual disability. It's also possible for a boy's Fragile X to be incompletely expressed.

Part of the trouble with diagnosis of autism in Fragile X is that language development is usually delayed whether the person has autism or not. You could say "classic autism" because of the language delay, sure, but what if that language delay would be the same even without the autism? Essentially, you'd be looking at Asperger's plus intellectual disability, except that you're supposed to exclude people with ID from the Asperger's diagnosis; but you can't put them in classic autism either because the speech delay is entirely attributable to Fragile X.

I don't think it matters in the end. Fragile X will have a big impact on a person's development whether autism is present or not. It's possible to have severe Fragile X and mild autism, or mild Fragile X and severe autism, or whatever combination you like. This is probably one of those situations where most doctors would just give up on specifics and say PDD-NOS, atypical autism, or simply autism.


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02 Nov 2013, 1:05 pm

Feralucce wrote:
According to all sources that I have read... Fragile x is often misdiagnosed as autism until proper testing is done... However, autistic spectrum disorders and fragile x cannot be co-morbid conditions.


Sorry I must disagree on behalf of the numerous individuals who have a true dual diagnosis of Autism and FXS, at the age of 11 during a speech and language study my son was evaluated for autisms and does have a dual diagnosis. Studies have shown that an individual with autism and FXS is different than an individual with just autism or just fragile X. Approximately 15-33% of individuals with FXS have a dual diagnosis (depends on the study).

http://www.fragilex.org/fragile-x-assoc ... -syndrome/



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02 Nov 2013, 1:22 pm

You are welcome to disagree... My statements come from the diagnostic criteria... I am not a mental health professional, and as such my interpretation may be flawed... However, the fragile x descriptors state that this is the case... I just shared my research


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