Motor development
Motor development may be delayed. This is due to a combination of overly flexible joints and low muscle tone.
- May have a higher rate of clumsiness and coordination
- Physical and occupational therapy may help gross motor and fine motor skills
- Motor issues may lead to poor sitting posture and difficulties with balance
- Short stature may affect positioning
- Activities that require good hand eye control (i.e. writing, drawing and painting) may present difficulties
- Pencil and tool skills may be weak due to poor motor control and difficulty with coordination
Some people with Noonan Syndrome have hyperelastic skin, joint hypermobility, pain and/or fatigue issues. Tips that have been developed for those with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome may be useful.
Verbal / language challenges
- Language difficulties in children are common and can be the root of future difficulties in literacy skills, including reading, writing, and spelling.
- Individuals with NS may have signs of developmental disorders such as dyspraxia, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Cognitive difficulties including, executive functioning, concentration, attention, impulsivity, short-term memory, receptive language, repetitive behaviors, dislike of change, and visual/spatial abilities may be evident.
- Verbal performance is typically lower than nonverbal performance.
- May have difficulty with higher order language such as reasoning, problem solving, understanding humor, and perceiving the rhythms and subtle contours of verbal speech.
- Articulation problems are common. However, most (72%) respond well to speech therapy.
- Language delay may be related to hearing loss, perceptual motor, or articulation deficiencies.
- If the child with Noonan syndrome experiences dyslexia, the following link may be helpful. Learn more.
Learning, attention and memory problems
- Problems with sustaining attention, switching tasks
- Abstract language and concepts can be difficult to grasp
- Metaphors may be rarely used or understood
- Instructions may be heard but not retained long enough for action
- Difficulty with integration skills, working memory, and episodic memory
Executive function challenges
- Executive function issue affect planning, thinking flexibly, and understanding the abstract.
- May struggle to remember, process, and organize information efficiently
- This can lead to problems in math and reading.
- Executive function is based on a group of related cognitive and behavioral skills. They are responsible for goal directed activity including:
- Attention
- Short term memory
- Planning and organization
- Behavioral inhibition
- Social interactions