Fragile X syndrome may be underlying behavioral concerns in the classroom for undiagnosed students, especially in early childhood.
Behaviors reflect obsessive-compulsive tendencies, hyperactivity, attention deficit, and autism.
Fragile X syndrome is the second most common chromosomal cause of mental retardation. The severity of cognitive, language and behavioral outcomes may be related to the actual number of CCG amino acid repeats at the affected site on the lower end of the X chromosome. Behaviors such as crawling under a table or tantrums are efforts to escape the sensory overload they perceive. These children can be hypersensitive to lighting, noise, food and clothing textures, odors, touch, and sudden changes in routine. Eye contact is more aversive to a child with fragile X syndrome than to autistic students.