ABSTRACT
There are two particularly important issues. Firstly the condition may affect other family members. Mothers and siblings are the most likely close relatives to be affected. Females are frequently less severely affected than males because of the pattern of inheritance. This milder degree of difficulty may delay or prevent diagnosis. It can be especially useful to understand that the mother of an affected child may be struggling with her own cognitive and psychological difficulties as well as trying to help and support a child with learning and behavioural problems. Awareness of the risk to sisters may allow early diagnosis and intervention for biologically based difficulties, which might otherwise be attributed to social factors or lack of application.
