Abstract
The development of communication is an important skill for an individual’s overall adaptive functioning. For children with Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome and Costello syndrome, communication skills may be difficult to acquire. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the speech and language skills of individuals with Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome and Costello syndrome and a typically developing matched comparison group of individuals. As part of this study, ten individuals with Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome (n=5) or Costello syndrome (n=5) aged 4;0-16;7-years-old were assessed using standardized tests of speech and language, including the Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation-Third Edition, The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals- Preschool Edition, and The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fifth Edition. Standard scores from speech and language measures of participants in the clinical sample were compared to those of typically developing participants (n=10) using nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results showed significant differences in both the speech and language standard scores between participants in the clinical sample and the matched comparison group. One hundred percent of participants with Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome or Costello syndrome presented with a speech sound disorder and language disorder. In contrast, 10% of TD participants presented with a speech sound disorder, and none presented with a language disorder. Within the clinical group, participants with Costello syndrome demonstrated slightly higher functioning language and speech ability compared to participants with Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome indicated by test performance. Results of the study showed that individuals with Costello syndrome and Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome exhibited significantly weaker speech and language skills than typically developing peers.