What are the Characteristics of Anxiety Disorders in Persons with Fragile X Syndrome?
Along with sensory processing disorders, anxiety disorders may underlie many of the behavioral characteristics of children and adults with fragile X syndrome. Both males and females have many characteristics of anxiety disorder and may need medical intervention in order for them to cope with the demands of daily living. Persons with fragile X are often described as shy, but friendly. One of the major characteristics of males with fragile X is the “fragile X handshake”, where the boy or man averts his gaze and turns his body away while offering his hand to another. The desire for social contact seems to be strong, but the overwhelming demands of greeting, while looking at the partner, are too much. Higher functioning persons with fragile X may have worries about their competence, performance, and acceptability. They have enough cognitive awareness to know that they are different, and their anxiety comes through in self-deprecating comments. The temperament of many persons with fragile X
