A statewide public and professional education program on fragile X syndrome.

Fragile X syndrome is reported to be the most common inherited cause of mental retardation known, but the majority of affected individuals are as yet undiagnosed. The project described in this paper was developed to increase the public and professional awareness of fragile X syndrome in the state of New Jersey. As a result there were increased efforts at diagnostic screening, provision of client and family support services, and prevention. This educational program proved to be a cost-effective method for increasing community awareness of a genetic disease on a statewide level.