A Behavioural Assessment of Social Anxiety and Social Motivation in Fragile X, Cornelia de Lange and Rubinstein-Taybi Syndromes.

The team watched children with four rare syndromes meet an adult they knew and an adult they did not know. They used a simple checklist to score signs of social anxiety and social motivation. The kids had Fragile X, Cornelia de Lange, Rubinstein-Taybi, or Down syndrome.

Fragile X and Rubinstein-Taybi children showed high social anxiety with both familiar and unfamiliar adults. Cornelia de Lange children looked calm with people they knew but shut down with strangers. Down syndrome children showed the least anxiety in both setups.

Minhas et al. (2025) later linked the same Fragile X anxiety to lower quality-of-life scores, so the worry you see on the checklist has real-life weight.

Protic et al. (2022) recommend early combined behavioral and drug treatment for Fragile X; Hayley’s data give you the easy scale to start that track.

Jackson et al. (2025) found that Down syndrome youth with poor shifting and working memory later show more anxiety. Hayley saw less anxiety in Down syndrome overall, so the two papers together say: watch EF skills in Down syndrome to keep anxiety low.

You can use the same brief checklist during intake. Start social skills work with a trusted adult for Cornelia de Lange kids and plan extra anxiety supports for Fragile X and Rubinstein-Taybi clients no matter who is in the room. The tool is free and takes five minutes.