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Logo of behbrainBioMed CentralBiomed Central Web Sitesearchsubmit a manuscriptregisterthis articleBehavioral and Brain Functions : BBFJournal Front Page
 
Behav Brain Funct. 2012; 8: 16.
Published online 2012 March 27. doi:  10.1186/1744-9081-8-16
PMCID: PMC3337277
Copyright ©2012 Dammeyer; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Children with Usher syndrome: mental and behavioral disorders
Jesper Dammeyercorresponding author1,2
1Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353 København K, Denmark
2Centre for Deafblindness and Hearing Impairment, Aalborg, Denmark
corresponding authorCorresponding author.
Jesper Dammeyer: jesper.dammeyer/at/psy.ku.dk
Received October 1, 2011; Accepted March 27, 2012.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Abstract
Background
Mental and behavioral disorders among adults with Usher syndrome have been discussed and reported in some case studies but no research has been reported on children with Usher syndrome.
Methods
This article investigates the prevalence and characteristics of mental and behavioral disorders among 26 children, 3-17 years of age, with Usher syndrome.
Results
Six of the 26 children were diagnosed with a mental or behavioral disorder (1 with schizophrenia and mild mental retardation, 1 with atypical autism and severe mental retardation, 1 with atypical autism and mild mental retardation, 1 with mild mental retardation, and 2 with conduct disorder). Another 3 children had had a mental or behavioral disorder previously in their childhood.
Conclusion
Even though vision impairment first manifests in late childhood, some children with Usher syndrome seem to develop mental and behavioral disorders during childhood. The aetiology and treatment of mental and behavioral disorders among children with Usher syndrome are discussed. Children with Usher syndrome and their parents may need clinical support during early childhood to prevent development of mental and behavioral disorders.
Keywords: Deafblindness, Dual sensory loss, Mental and behavioral disorders, Usher syndrome, Psychiatry
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