Is Williams syndrome a learning disability?

As well as a learning disability, people with Williams syndrome will often share distinctive facial characteristics including a wide mouth with a pronounced bottom lip, slightly high and rounded cheeks, and widely-spaced teeth.

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What type of disability is Williams syndrome?

Description. Williams syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body. This condition is characterized by mild to moderate intellectual disability or learning problems, unique personality characteristics, distinctive facial features, and heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) problems.

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Does Williams syndrome cause learning disabilities?

Williams syndrome is a lifelong condition; it cannot be cured. It causes learning disabilities, certain distinctive facial features, and an increased likelihood of developing certain health issues, such as heart problems.

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Can people with Williams syndrome have normal intelligence?

Even claims about very low IQ turn out to be exaggerated. Williams syndrome IQ ranges from 48 to 85. True, people with Williams syndrome are often very loquacious and usually have better language than spatial skills, but the profile of the syndrome is unscientifically exaggerated by secondary sources.

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Is Williams syndrome associated with ADHD?

Children with Williams syndrome frequently present with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but there is little information that stimulant medication is useful in this population.

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Williams Syndrome, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

27 related questions found

Is Williams syndrome a form of autism?

Autism and Williams syndrome are genetically based neurodevelopmental disorders that present strikingly different social phenotypes. Autism involves fundamental impairments in social reciprocity and communication, whereas people with Williams syndrome are highly sociable and engaging.

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Is Williams syndrome part of autism?

Williams Syndrome (WS) is not an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), although there is some overlap between the two conditions. WS and ASD have opposite characteristics in the social domain, but share some common behavioral and cognitive deficiencies.

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Does Williams syndrome get worse over time?

Yes, but the number and the severity of problems varies greatly among individuals. Many different body systems can be affected and since some of the medical problems can develop over time, it is important that individuals with Williams syndrome receive ongoing medical monitoring and supervision.

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What do people with Williams syndrome struggle with?

Williams syndrome may cause poor growth in childhood, and most adults with the condition are shorter than average. Williams syndrome can also cause endocrine concerns like having too much calcium in your blood and urine, an underactive thyroid and early puberty.

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Are people with Williams syndrome always happy?

Williams syndrome is called the happy syndrome because people with this condition often have outgoing, friendly personalities and tend to be very social. They may have a unique ability to connect with others and form strong bonds, making them appear very happy and engaging.

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How do you teach a child with Williams syndrome?

In general, students with Williams syndrome learn best with consistency, structured instructional routines, clear and realistic expectations, social stories, scripts and visual schedules, and technology. In particular, students with WS are often very effective users of computers and iPads/tablets.

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Can you have mild Williams syndrome?

What is Williams syndrome? Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder. People with WS may have mild to moderate delays in their cognitive development (ability to think and reason) or learning difficulties.

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What is the behavior of someone with Williams syndrome?

The personality of individuals with Williams syndrome involves high sociability, overfriendliness, and empathy, with an undercurrent of anxiety related to social situations.

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How many people have Williams syndrome in Australia?

It affects approximately 1 in 10000 Australians. There are many symptoms that vary from person to person, but they each share a very social and friendly disposition and have a deep affinity with music.

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What is the average age of diagnosis Williams syndrome?

Most patients with Williams syndrome are diagnosed as a newborn or in early childhood. The average age of diagnosis is around three and a half years.

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What famous people have Williams syndrome?

Several famous (or recognizable) people have been diagnosed with Williams syndrome, which include:
  • Amy Kotch, featured in KLRU-TV's public media.
  • Gloria Lenhoff, a soprano singer who has performed with Aerosmith, and the San Diego Master Chorale.
  • Ben (Big Red) Monkaba, a member of the Black Cat community theater.

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Is Williams syndrome progressive?

Williams syndrome is a progressive disorder with multisystem involvement.

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Are people with Williams syndrome aggressive?

There is little evidence for self-injury in Williams syndrome. Several studies have examined aggression in Williams syndrome and a review of aggression is far less common in Williams syndrome (6-15%) compared to other syndromes such as Smith-Magenis, Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes, who all have rates over 70%.

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Does Williams syndrome affect behavior?

The behavioral symptoms of the syndrome include over-friendliness, increased empathy (the ability to understand the feelings of others), cognitive (mental) disorders, highly developed language skills, disrupted ability to recognize danger in social situations, and high levels of non-social stress (stress that is not ...

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Do kids with Williams syndrome sleep?

Beyond infancy, findings have consistently indicated that children with WS have more sleep problems than age-matched TD children, including sleep anxiety, bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, frequent night waking, general restlessness, and excessive daytime sleepiness [10, 11, 41,42,43,44,45,46,47].

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Can Williams syndrome people have kids?

Can people with Williams Syndrome have a child/children of their own? There are no significant physical reasons why people with Williams Syndrome cannot conceive normally, but their own health may pose a potential risk, particularly if they have a heart condition.

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What is Williams syndrome IQ?

Williams syndrome (WBS) is a genetic multisystem disorder. The main symptom is borderline (intelligence quotient, IQ 70–79) or abnormally low intelligence (IQ < 70).

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Does Williams syndrome affect the brain?

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body, including the brain, heart, blood vessels, and facial features. The syndrome often causes brain-related symptoms such as intellectual disabilities, cognitive impairments, behavioral issues, and specific personality traits.

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Do kids with Williams syndrome talk?

Communication difficulties: Most children with Williams syndrome develop speech skills later than other children their age. With intervention, most children develop the ability to communicate wants and needs effectively. In fact, for many children with Williams syndrome, expressive language may be a relative strength.

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What is most likely to cause Williams syndrome?

What causes Williams syndrome? Williams syndrome is caused by a partial deletion of up to 28 genes on chromosome 7. This means that a section of genetic material on chromosome 7 is missing. It is believed that some of these genes are involved in the production of elastin.

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