Congratulations to Dr. Jessica Klusek and collaborators Dr. Leonard Abbeduto, Dr. Julie Lounds Taylor, and Dr. Angela John Thurman on the publication of their new article “Planning for the Transition to Adulthood: Parent Perspectives on the Planning Process and Experiences of Young Adults with Fragile X Syndrome.” The study explores how young adults with Fragile… Read more »
On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the South Carolina Statehouse hosted National Fragile X Advocacy Day, bringing together researchers, advocates, families, and community members to raise awareness about Fragile X syndrome. Attendees heard from a great group of speakers, including University of South Carolina researchers Dr. Jessica Klusek and Dr. Jane Roberts, representatives from the Greenwood… Read more »
Congratulations to Dr. Lauren Jenner, LivJoy Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, former Research Specialist and current Graduate Assistant Christina Koenig, and mentor Dr. Jessica Klusek on the publication of their new article in Frontiers in Psychiatry: “Psychiatric Difficulties in Females with Fragile X Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.” This publication is the first systematic review and meta-analysis focused specifically on psychiatric difficulties in females… Read more »
The SC Family Experiences Lab was thrilled to attend the 20th National Fragile X Foundation (NFXF) Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, last week. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues and families (old and new!) and share the exciting Fragile X research taking place at the University of South Carolina. Our team was proud… Read more »
On April 24, 2026, undergraduate student Lauren Long presented her research at the University of South Carolina’s annual DiscoverUSC conference. Her poster, “The child has to drive all of the decisions you make: How Mothers of People with Fragile X Syndrome Navigate Parenting in Low Resource Areas” highlighted qualitative findings on how mothers of children with Fragile X syndrome… Read more »
Dr. Jenner presented a poster at the 25th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), held April 22–25, 2026, in Prague, Czech Republic, representing the SC Family Study Lab. Her poster examined how autism-related personality traits — known as the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) — are linked to health outcomes in women… Read more »
The LivJoy Foundation, which supports the work of our lab’s postdoctoral fellow Lauren Jenner, has partnered with the National Fragile X Foundation to launch the “Females with Fragile X Webinar Series.” This new series aims to highlight the experiences of females with FXS – a group that is often underrepresented in discussions about the condition and whose needs can differ… Read more »
Our lab recently attended the South Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopment Consortium (SCAND) 2026, a conference that brings together researchers from across the state to share and discuss advances in science focused on autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions in South Carolina. This year’s meeting was close to home, hosted at the beautiful Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia,… Read more »
Our PhD candidate, Thomas Christensen has been selected as one of two Graduate Student Scholars in Aging by the Office for the Study of Aging at the University of South Carolina. As part of this award, he will receive a $1,000 grant to support his research on motor speech in women with the FMR1 premutation and its relationship… Read more »
Dr. Jessica Klusek, along with co-authors Gierman, Fairchild, Benitez, Berry-Kravis, and Mailick, published a new research article in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease titled: “Cognitive dysfunction in women with the FMR1 premutation during midlife: The LASSI-L reveals curvilinear CGG-dependent risk buffered by college education.” Women with the FMR1 premutation are known to have a higher… Read more »