When do kids with Williams syndrome start talking?

Many children with Williams syndrome also have: speech delay – a child's first word might come as late as 3 years old. The child then usually develops relatively good verbal abilities, which can be used to help with other areas of learning. developmental delays – for example, with walking and toilet training.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on raisingchildren.net.au

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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on urmc.rochester.edu

What developmental milestones does Williams syndrome have?

Developmental delays

Williams syndrome can delay milestones including: Learning (mild to moderate intellectual challenges). Saying their first words and talking. Sitting and walking from a low body tone (hypotonia).

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on my.clevelandclinic.org

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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on williams-syndrome.org

What is very mild Williams syndrome?

People with WS may have mild to moderate delays in their cognitive development (ability to think and reason) or learning difficulties. They also may have a distinctive facial appearance, and a unique personality that combines over-friendliness and high levels of empathy with anxiety.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on ninds.nih.gov

Living with Williams Syndrome (A Condition that Makes You Friendly)

16 related questions found

Is there a spectrum for Williams syndrome?

Williams syndrome is a spectrum disorder. There is a great deal of variability in individuals throughout the spectrum. Medical concerns and learning challenges, emotional issues, and anxiety are common and can be all-consuming at times. The severity of the challenges varies and can ebb and flow over the years.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on williams-syndrome.org

Is Williams syndrome a type 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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on academic.oup.com

Are people with Williams syndrome happier?

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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on medicinenet.com

How do you talk to someone with Williams syndrome?

3) Use simple, concrete language at all times. Avoid complex and abstract explanations or concepts. 4) Remember that the person with Williams Syndrome usually understands less than may be apparent from the way they talk.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on williamssyndrome.org.au

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].

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on jneurodevdisorders.biomedcentral.com

What do children with Williams syndrome display lack of?

People with Williams syndrome typically have difficulty with visual-spatial tasks such as drawing and assembling puzzles, but they tend to do well on tasks that involve spoken language, music, and learning by repetition (rote memorization).

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on medlineplus.gov

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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on childneurologyfoundation.org

What are the behaviors of Williams syndrome?

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

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Do people with Williams syndrome act normal?

Children with Williams syndrome typically have a personality that is friendly, outgoing, and/or talkative. The appropriate use of language and vocabulary range may be unusually enhanced in some children with this disorder. Mild to moderate mental retardation may occur.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on rarediseases.org

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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on emedicinehealth.com

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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on mencap.org.uk

Is Williams syndrome progressive?

Williams syndrome is a progressive disorder with multisystem involvement.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on wsfsgvic.org.au

Are people with Williams syndrome sociable?

Individuals with WS exhibit consistent and unique patterns of social behavior, characterized by an overly friendly, affectionate, engaging, and socially disinhibited personality particularly toward strangers, apparent cross-culturally, and through separable channels of communication, such as eye gaze and language.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

What is a person with Williams syndrome likely to be good at?

Children with Williams syndrome have strengths in areas like speech, music and memory. They also tend to be outgoing. Early intervention can help children with Williams syndrome develop well and reach their full potential.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on raisingchildren.net.au

Why are people with Williams syndrome so nice?

Scientists realized it was related to the levels of oxytocin. They knew that oxytocin is involved in social/intimacy behaviors, like mother-child bonding or romantic encounters. And they found that people with Williams syndrome have a lot more oxytocin than everybody else, and that it fluctuates wildly in the brain.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on nationalgeographic.com

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).

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Do people with Williams syndrome talk a lot?

The low I.Q., however, ignores two traits that define Williams more distinctly than do its deficits: an exuberant gregariousness and near-normal language skills. Williams people talk a lot, and they talk with pretty much anyone [p.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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%.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on findresources.co.uk

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.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on unitedbrainassociation.org