Kleefstra
Social skills in Kleefstra syndrome
Last year at the Kleefstra Syndrome Support Group conference, researchers from the Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders asked parents of children with Keefstra syndrome to share their experiences of their child's sociability. You can watch what families said below.
Some individuals with Kleefstra syndrome are reported to enjoy social interactions, while others are reported to find these interactions more difficult. Many children with Kleefstra syndrome appear to prefer adult company over interacting with other children. This may be because adults help structure the social interaction, which helps the person with Kleefstra syndrome communicate their needs.
Parents often describe children with Kleefstra syndrome as having little or no stranger anxiety. While friendliness is clearly a strength of many children with Kleefstra syndrome, parents and professionals may want to work with a young a person with Kleefstra syndrome to help the person develop a script, or a simple set of rules, around how to keep themselves safe around strangers. Developing rules around social situations may be important as the person with Kleefstra syndrome grows older.
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded these short films in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, Cerebra, and UNIQUE. You can also watch a short film of parents introductions for their children with Kleefstra Syndrome, and a short film about mood, communication skills and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Kleefstra syndrome. Keep an eye out for updates about the upcoming 2017 Kleefstra Family Conference on kleefstra.org.