Young children with Williams syndrome have distinctive facial features including a broad forehead, puffiness around the eyes, a flat bridge of the nose, full cheeks, and a small chin. Many affected people have dental problems such as teeth that are small, widely spaced, crooked, or missing.
Williams syndrome is a disorder that causes developmental delays, learning problems (like trouble with space and numbers), and heart and blood vessel problems. But kids who have it usually have good verbal skills, are friendly and social, and may enjoy music-related activities.
Physical characteristics of Williams syndrome
Short stature. Small jaw. Upturned nose. Vertical skin folds that cover the inner corner of the eyes (epicanthal folds).
One notable person with the syndrome is Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, a Canadian actress and singer who won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in 2014 for her performance in the film Gabrielle. Another is Jeremy Vest, member of the How's Your News? team, featured in the US TV series and film of the same name.
Patients usually have a normal life expectancy. Some patients may have a reduced life expectancy. This is due to complications related to the heart and kidney. There is no cure for Williams syndrome.
Williams syndrome is a rare genetic condition. It is characterised by distinctive physical features and behaviours, including a distinctive facial appearance, mild intellectual disability and an overly sociable personality.
Most individuals with Williams syndrome have a degree of intellectual disability, ranging from mild to severe. Research studies have suggested that IQ scores for children with Williams syndrome range from 40 to 112, with a mean IQ score of 68 which equates to a mild intellectual disability (average IQ is 100).
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Williams syndrome (WS) is associated with atypical social communication and cognition reminiscent of the behaviours observed in autism. Nonetheless, WS also differs significantly from autism, such as regarding social motivation, which is typically enhanced in WS and reduced in autism.
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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%.
Common issues include: reflux, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and dysmotility. Less common but significant issues include diverticulitis (at much younger age than is common in the general population)celiac disease, and gluten intolerance.
This excessive gregariousness may be a window into the science of sociability. According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience earlier this year, people with Williams syndrome have brains that are especially attuned to happy facial expressions and not so much to fearful ones.
It can affect many parts of the body, including the heart and blood vessels. Children who have Williams syndrome often have mild-to-moderate intellectual disability, distinctive facial features, and certain behavioral characteristics such as an outgoing personality.
The mental age of participants was assessed using the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Ability-Revised (WJ-COG-R; Woodcock & Johnson, 1989–1990). The mean mental age of the entire sample was 6 years 3 months (range: 2.16–10.58 years), typical of the WS population.
Speech Development
He found a strong correlation between age at onset of rhythmic hand banging and canonical babble and between the onset of canonical babble (mean age of onset in his study: 17.7 months) and a 25-word expressive vocabulary for children with WS (mean age: 22.9 months).
Affected individuals have outgoing, engaging personalities and tend to take an extreme interest in other people. Attention deficit disorder (ADD), problems with anxiety, and phobias are common among people with this disorder.
Studies have found that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aggregates in families, and twin studies estimate the proportion of the phenotype variance due to genetic factors (heritability) to be about 90%.
The "6-second rule" is a communication strategy used to support autistic individuals by giving them extra processing time after being asked a question. Instead of expecting an immediate response, a person using the rule will pause for about six seconds after asking a question before repeating it or moving on.
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Matt Damon
The Hollywood heavyweight, who boasts an IQ of 160, famously completed the project with his longtime friend Ben Affleck.
(7/15) The Myth: People with Williams syndrome can't/won't drive. Mythbuster: A small but growing number of individuals are obtaining licenses and drive themselves to work and around town daily – in cars or even a few on motorcycles.
YoungHoon Kim (IQ 276)
According to the recent reports, YoungHoon Kim, South Korea, has the highest recorded IQ as of 2024, with a score of 276. His intelligence has been verified by various organizations, including the Giga Society and the World Genius Directory.