Early play behaviour in children with 5p- (Cri-du-Chat) syndrome.
Cri-du-Chat toddlers show fleeting, distractible play, but later research shows they can learn rules—so keep early sessions short and upbeat.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sarimski (2003) watched toddlers with Cri-du-Chat syndrome during free play.
They compared the kids to mental-age peers with Down or Cornelia-de-Lange syndrome.
The team counted how often each child touched toys and how often they looked away.
What they found
The Cri-du-Chat group touched toys less and looked away more.
Their play was short and easily broken by noise or movement.
The other two groups stayed with toys longer even though their mental age was the same.
How this fits with other research
Ekas et al. (2011) later saw the same syndrome but found strong rule-following skills.
The two papers seem opposite: one shows weak play, the other good self-control.
The gap is age and focus—Sarimski (2003) looked at tiny toddlers, Ekas et al. (2011) at 2- to 16-year-olds.
Kids with Cri-du-Chat may start with scattered attention yet grow into cooperative learners.
Zyga et al. (2015) saw a similar low-play pattern in Prader-Willi and autism, so the issue is not unique to 5p- deletion.
Why it matters
When you meet a young child with Cri-du-Chat, expect short, distractible play bursts.
Use tight spaces, few toys, and quick turns to keep the child engaged.
Track if longer attention appears over time; later studies say it can.
Build early learning goals around brief, high-interest activities instead of long tabletop tasks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: 5p- (Cri-du-Chat) syndrome (5p-S) is a well defined chromosomal condition. While the physical symptoms have frequently been documented, the developmental and behavioural aspects of the syndrome have not been explored adequately, especially in young children. METHOD: Mental level, and complexity and style of play were analysed in 10 children who were homogeneously selected with respect to their chronological age (range = 2-7 years). RESULTS: A high rate of distractability and a low level of object-directed behaviours were observed in the play sessions. The findings were compared to two comparison groups (subjects with Down's syndrome or Cornelia-de-Lange syndrome) matched for mental age in order to analyse the specificity of these behavioural features for young children with 5p-S. CONCLUSIONS: A low level of object-directed behaviours may be an early precursor of hyperactivity, distractability and stereotypy, which have been reported to be the characteristic features of the behavioural phenotype of older individuals with 5p-S.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2003 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00448.x