Socio-behavioral characteristics of children with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome.

The team compared kids with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome to kids at the same mental age. They looked at mood, behavior, attention, and body weight.

It was a case-control design. Each RTS child had a matched peer for fair comparison.

RTS kids were not more anxious or disruptive than their peers. They did show short attention, lots of stereotypies, clumsy motor skills, and higher weight.

In plain words: the syndrome brings movement and focus issues, not extra mood problems.

Case-Smith et al. (2015) later mapped those stereotypies in detail. They showed the repetitive moves in RTS form their own pattern and are not tied to autism-style social deficits. This extends the 2009 snapshot.

Giani et al. (2022) seem to disagree at first glance. They found anxiety rises as RTS children age. The key difference is age range: Galéra et al. (2009) studied late-elementary kids; Ludovica et al. watched from infancy to teens. Anxiety may climb later, so both papers can be true.

Irvin et al. (1998) earlier warned of mood, OCD, and tic issues plus high drug sensitivity. The 2009 controlled data calm that fear for young school-age kids but do not rule out later problems.

You can reassure families that young RTS students are no more anxious or oppositional than peers. Plan short work periods, motor breaks, and healthy-weight programs instead of heavy psychiatric meds. Re-screen for anxiety as the child enters adolescence.