In this clip you will see Hannah hitting her mother when she has to wait to get her book. Hannah's parents reported that this was a particularly difficult situation for Hannah and so we conducted an observation of this situation in order to assess her behaviour.
Aggressive Behaviour in Cri du Chat Syndrome
Aggressive behaviour refers to any behaviour that has the potential to cause injury to another person. When we use the phrases ‘aggression’ or ‘aggressive behaviour’ throughout this website, we do not mean to imply that an individual with Cri du Chat syndrome is intentionally trying to hurt another person.
Recent research shows that around 7 out of 10 of children and adults with Cri du Chat syndrome engage in some form of aggressive behaviour. The most common form of aggressive behaviour reported is hitting others and pulling others hair, which is displayed by about 6 out of 10 individuals with Cri du Chat syndrome.
Aggressive behaviour is found to be most common in younger children, aged four to ten years, after which the frequency of aggressive behaviour appears to decrease.
Individuals with Cri du Chat syndrome who show aggressive behaviour are more likely to score highly on assessments of hyperactivity, impulsivity and low mood.