How does Williams syndrome compare to autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Williams Syndrome (WS) are frequently characterized as mirror conditions in the socio-cognitive domain, with ASD entailing restrictive social interests and with WS exhibiting hypersociability.

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Is Williams syndrome misdiagnosed as 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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Why does Williams syndrome serve as a good comparison developmental disorder for autism?

Compared to children with other types of developmental disorders, children with WS are less reserved toward strangers, more approaching, more gregarious, overly friendly, and affectionate (see review in 3). These prosocial behaviors make it unlikely that one would suspect overlap with the autism spectrum.

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Can you have Williams syndrome and autism?

We present a case report of patient H., a four-year-old male who was brought to the neurogenetics clinic of a university hospital. He was diagnosed with Williams syndrome (WS), which was confirmed by microarray; the patient was also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by the pediatric neurology department.

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What is the syndrome similar to autism?

Asperger syndrome, or Asperger's, is a previously used diagnosis on the autism spectrum. In 2013, it became part of one umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5).

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Williams Syndrome vs. Autism

38 related questions found

What genetic syndrome mimics autism?

Disturbance of this process alters the activity of many genes and disrupts development or function of several of the body's tissues and organs, including the brain. These changes likely explain the intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, and other diverse signs and symptoms of ADNP syndrome.

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What is similar to Williams syndrome?

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and Williams syndrome (WS) both are neurodevelopmental disorders, each with a unique social phenotypic pattern.

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Is Williams syndrome special needs?

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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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.

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What behavioral issues does Williams syndrome have?

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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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.

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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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What are 3 symptoms of Williams syndrome?

Symptoms of Williams syndrome include:
  • Chronic ear infections and/or hearing loss.
  • Dental abnormalities, such as poor enamel and small or missing teeth.
  • Elevated calcium level in the blood.
  • Endocrine abnormalities: hypothyroidism, early puberty and diabetes in adulthood.
  • Farsightedness.
  • Feeding difficulties in infancy.

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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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Do people with Williams syndrome have learning difficulties?

Learning: Most children with Williams syndrome usually have mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. This means they learn all skills at a slower pace than other children. They often have a certain pattern of learning strengths and weaknesses. Strengths in speech, long term memory, and social skills.

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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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Can someone 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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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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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.

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Does Williams syndrome get worse with age?

There is also evidence of accelerated ageing among individuals with Williams syndrome. An early onset of hearing loss is common and may coexist with hyperacusis (aversion to loud noises). There may also be premature greying of hair.

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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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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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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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Is Williams syndrome progressive?

Williams syndrome is a progressive disorder with multisystem involvement.

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What is the mildest type of autism?

If you still hear people use some of the older terms, you'll want to know what they mean: Asperger's syndrome. This is on the milder end of the autism spectrum. A person with Asperger's may be very intelligent and able to handle their daily life.

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