Fragile X Association of Southern California

Dear Family and Friends,

On behalf of the Fragile X Association of Southern California, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support this year! Without YOU it would be impossible to achieve our mission and goals year after year. Our non-profit organization is staffed by volunteer Board Members so all donations go straight to our mission. I would like to share what FRAXSOCAL has been up to this year as 2018 comes to a close…

FRAXSOCAL loves Education! On October 6th, we hosted a 1/2 day conference featuring Fragile X Superstars…DR. ELIZABETH BERRYKRAVIS & CINDI ROGERS. FRAXSOCAL also participated in many resource fairs throughout the year including: Stephanie’s Day at CBS Studios, Wrightslaw Conference Resource Fair, Abilities Awareness Fair in Whittier, and CSUN Family Focus Resource Center. Read More

Summer Fun – Kids’ Gym. Two Locations, One Family – FraxSoCal Northridge location on August 18, 2018 12 noon-3 pm REGISTER @ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fraxsocals-summer-family-fun-day-northridge-2of2-tickets-48884904064 Long Beach location on August 25, 2018 10 am-1 pm REGISTER @ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fraxsocals-summer-family-fun-day-lb-tickets-47837433050 This is a FREE PRIVATE event for our families affected by FXS – all ages welcome to play. Equipment is built for all sizes Read More

What is Fragile X?

Fragile X occurs when there is a change, called a mutation, in a single gene called the FMR1 gene. Every human being has this gene. Some people have only a small change in this gene (referred to as a premutation) and may not show any symptoms associated with Fragile X. Persons with the premutation are called carriers and are at risk to develop other related conditions (see FXTAS and FXPOI below). Other people may have bigger changes in the gene (called a full mutation), which can cause the symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome.

Fragile X is inherited, which means it is passed down from parent to child. The changes in the gene can become greater when passed from mother to child, so a woman who has no symptoms related to Fragile X can have a child affected with Fragile X Syndrome. A male carrier can only pass the premutation, and will pass it to all of his daughters, but none of his sons. Fragile X affects people of all ethnicities, races, and socio-economic backgrounds. Fragile X is named because of the appearance of the X chromosome where the gene mutation occurs, not because individuals with the FMR1 mutation are in any way “fragile”. Read More