Neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with Angelman syndrome after 1 year of behavioural intervention
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Updated: May 21, 2026
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Published on: October 20, 2023
1McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences, Ontario, Canada. jsummers@hhsc.ca
Objective:
To examine the impact of teaching approaches based on the principles of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) on neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with Angelman syndrome (AS).
Methods:
A non-randomized pre-test-post-test control group design was used. The intervention group consisted of four children with AS aged 3.1-9.2 years. Controls were other children with AS who were individually matched on the basis of chronological age, gender and molecular sub-type. Children in the intervention group were provided two-to-three ABA-based therapy sessions per week over a 1-year period. Standardized measures of cognitive, adaptive and language functioning were administered at baseline and after 1 year.
Results:
There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups at baseline or after 1 year. However, positive trends were observed in the intervention group for some cognitive and adaptive measures.
Conclusion:
ABA-based intervention improved aspects of neurodevelopment for some children with AS and warrants further study.
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