Social Cognitive Development in Noonan Syndrome: Mediated by Executive Functioning?
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2018-07-05
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en
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Abstract
A variety of impairments in social cognition is found in both children and adults with Noonan syndrome. However, because no longitudinal study has investigated the social cognitive development in Noonan syndrome, this study we focused on this aspect. Method Fourteen patients with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of Noonan syndrome underwent neuropsychological assessment in both childhood and adulthood. Social cognition was operationalized by measures of alexithymia, theory of mind, and emotion recognition. Patient scores were compared with those of fourteen controls, which were matched with respect to sex, age, education level, and intelligence. Moreover, social behaviour in childhood was used as predictor for social cognition in adulthood. Subsequently, executive functioning was added as a second predictor. Results Adult patients with Noonan syndrome did not perform significantly worse on measures of social cognition compared to controls. Additionally, no significant predictive value was found for social behaviour in childhood on social cognition in adulthood, and executive functioning had no significant effect on this relation. Discussion Based on the results of our study, we conclude that social cognition is not significantly worse in adult patients with Noonan syndrome when compared to controls, and social behaviour in childhood did not have a predictive value for social cognition in adulthood, neither was this relation mediated by executive functioning.
Keywords Noonan syndrome, social cognition, social behaviour, social cognitive development, alexithymia, theory of mind, emotion recognition
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen