The neuropsychology of 22q11 deletion syndrome. A neuropsychiatric study of 100 individuals.

Niklasson et al. (2010) mapped the minds of 100 people with 22q11 deletion syndrome.

They gave a full IQ battery and tests of visuo-motor skill, planning, and memory.

The goal was to see which problems come from the syndrome itself and which ride along with extra diagnoses like autism or ADHD.

Average IQ sat at 71. Visuo-motor gaps showed up in almost everyone.

Poor planning appeared only when autism or ADHD was also present.

In short, expect slow hands and low scores across the board, but target executive skills only when comorbid labels are in the file.

Van Den Heuvel et al. (2018) followed kids for two years and found social skills slid even when IQ stayed flat. Together the papers warn that cognitive scores can hide growing social trouble.

Wong et al. (2009) linked poor scores on a card-sort test to early signs of psychosis. Their finding joins Lena’s planning data to flag executive tasks as both assessment and early-warning tools.

Whitehouse et al. (2014) looked at adults with even lower IQs and saw more psychopathology. The work extends Lena’s map into older, more impaired clients and hints that IQ level may shape mental-health risk.

When you meet a client with 22q11DS, start with visuo-motor and IQ baselines. If autism or ADHD is also on the sheet, add executive-function probes and social-skills checks. Re-test social domains yearly even if IQ looks stable, and watch card-sort scores for early red flags of psychosis. These steps turn a single snapshot into a living treatment plan.