Health Care for Individuals with Fragile X Syndrome: Understanding Access and Quality

Background: Previous research suggests that individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) may experience challenges accessing quality health care.

Objective/hypothesis: This study explored parent perceptions of access and quality of health care services for children with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading hereditary cause of intellectual/developmental disabilities.

Methods: Nearly 600 primary caregivers of at least one child with FXS completed an online survey on access, barriers, and quality of health care for their family member with FXS (N = 731).

Results: In a convenience sample of well-educated and affluent caregivers, the majority did not report experiencing difficulties with access to services. Caregivers of younger children and those with lower family incomes reported greater challenges with health care access. Nearly 40% of caregivers indicated that their child's PCP was not as knowledgeable about FXS-related needs as they would prefer, indicating a possible knowledge gap on the part of providers.

Conclusions: These factors represent potential barriers to quality health care for individuals with FXS, with potential lifelong effects ranging from delayed age of diagnosis to difficulty accessing a PCP in adulthood.