Date of Award

2002

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Human Development

Advisor

Gary L. Schilmoeller

Second Committee Member

Kathryn J. Schilmoeller

Third Committee Member

Judith Stickles

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze and describe the common communication, social, and behavioral attributes of individuals with agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC), a rare congenital brain anomaly, as they relate to social interaction This study analyzed data collected from over seven hundred families and made available through The ACC Network. The researcher utilized descriptive statistics to analyze the total sample and ANOVA to determine if differences occurred due to primary callosal diagnosis or age. An additional analysis examined features of individuals with higher level communication abilities. This sample represented a broad range of ability and disability, fiom individuals with multiple congenital disabilities which included ACC, to individuals diagnosed with ACC only. Common features included a happy, social, and cooperative nature with rare aggressive or antisocial tendencies. Yet, consistent with previous research, these individuals experience difficulties in their interactions with peers. Many experience language delay, deficits, or anomalies which affect successful social interaction. Attention to social conventions, responsiveness to social partners, and emotional awareness are areas of concern, but much more research is needed to further explore these issues. Mood was less positive with increasing age, but this matter also deserves further investigation. Limitations of this study include the subjectivity which can occur with use of caregivers as informants, and the lack of a comparison group.

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