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Social and Behavioral Problems of Children with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum

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Abstract

Archival data from a survey of parent observations was used to determine the prevalence of social and behavioral problems in children with agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC). Parent observations were surveyed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for 61 children with ACC who were selected from the archive based on criteria of motor development suggesting a relatively high general level of functioning. Younger children with ACC (ages 2–5) were rated as primarily having problems with sleep. Older children with ACC (ages 6–11) manifested problems in attention, social function, thought, and somatic complaints. The older children with ACC were also compared to CBCL data from 52 children with autism who were selected from a previous study. Children with ACC were generally less impaired than children with autism on nearly all scales, with significantly less severe problems in the areas of attention, anxiety/depression, social function, and unusual thoughts. A further questionnaire related to diagnostic criteria for autism indicated that some children with ACC had traits that are among those that contribute to the diagnosis of autism within the domains of social interaction and social communication, but fewer who manifest repetitive and restricted behaviors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Travis Research Institute, Center for Biopsychosocial Research, Fuller Graduate School of Psychology, 180 N. Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91101, USA

    Denise H. Badaruddin, Lynn K. Paul & Warren S. Brown

  2. Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, ID, USA

    Glena L. Andrews

  3. Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt/M, Germany

    Sven Bölte

  4. The ACC Network, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

    Kathryn J. Schilmoeller & Gary Schilmoeller

  5. College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

    Gary Schilmoeller

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  1. Denise H. Badaruddin
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  2. Glena L. Andrews
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  3. Sven Bölte
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  4. Kathryn J. Schilmoeller
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  6. Lynn K. Paul
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  7. Warren S. Brown
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Correspondence to Warren S. Brown.

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Badaruddin, D.H., Andrews, G.L., Bölte, S. et al. Social and Behavioral Problems of Children with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 38, 287–302 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-007-0065-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-007-0065-6

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