Children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome exhibit impaired spatial working memory.
Kids with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome show clear spatial working-memory deficits—girls more than boys—so break spatial tasks into smaller steps and provide extra visual cues.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested the kids with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and 40 typical kids. All children were 7 to 14 years old. They used a computer game where kids had to remember the spot and order of dots on a screen.
The game got harder each round. Kids earned stickers for correct answers. The study counted how many times each child picked the wrong spot or wrong order.
What they found
Children with 22q11.2DS made twice as many spatial errors as typical kids. They also forgot the order of dots more often.
Girls with the syndrome scored lower than boys with the same diagnosis. The gap was large enough to show up on standard scores.
How this fits with other research
Falcomata et al. (2012) found these same kids also struggle to read people’s minds on video clips. Together the papers map a clear profile: social and spatial skills both lag.
Saville et al. (2002) saw verbal memory problems in Down syndrome. That looks like a contradiction, but it isn’t. One study tested spatial memory in 22q11.2DS; the other tested word memory in Down syndrome. Different syndromes, different memory lanes.
Leung et al. (2014) showed that autistic kids ignore helpful “big picture” cues in visuospatial tasks. Kids with 22q11.2DS simply can’t hold the picture in mind. The takeaway: tailor supports to the specific weak link—autism needs structure, 22q11.2DS needs smaller chunks.
Why it matters
If you work with a child who has 22q11.2DS, cut spatial tasks into tiny steps. Use visual cues like colored mats or finger traces. Watch for girls who may need even more support. These small tweaks can save therapy time and reduce frustration for both of you.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Individuals with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) have been shown to have impairments in processing spatiotemporal information. The authors examined whether children with 22q11.2DS exhibit impairments in spatial working memory performance due to these weaknesses, even when controlling for maintenance of attention. Children with 22q11.2DS (n = 47) and typically developing controls (n = 49) ages 6-15 years saw images within a grid and after a delay, then indicated the positions of the images in the correct temporal order. Children with 22q11.2DS made more spatial and temporal errors than controls. Females with 22q11.2DS made more spatial and temporal errors than males. These results extend findings of impaired spatiotemporal processing into the memory domain in 22q11.2DS by documenting their influence on working memory performance.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-119.2.115