Fragile X Syndrome in a Population of Autistic Children

Abstract

Fragile X syndrome, a recently described form of X-linked mental retardation, has been reported to be associated with infantile autism. In chromosomal analysis of 40 children who met DSM-III criteria for infantile autism, a large number of possible autosomal fragile sites were noted, but only one child was positive for fragile X. The authors concluded that the association of fragile X syndrome and infantile autism may be less frequent than previously thought.