What is William’s Syndrome?

 Williams Syndrome

A rare genetic condition affecting learning and growth.
Symbol idea: DNA strand

 Williams Syndrome – What Are People Good At?

🗣️ Talkative and Expressive:
People with Williams syndrome often have good vocabulary and love talking.

🎵 Very Musical:
They may have a great memory for songs, strong rhythm, and a love of music.

🙂 Recognizing Faces:
They are often very good at seeing and remembering faces.

👫 Very Social:
They usually enjoy meeting new people, and are friendly and chatty.

🧠 Challenges:
They may find it harder to:

·         Understand shapes and space (visuospatial skills)

·         Do math

·         Focus or concentrate (some have ADHD)

·         Use fine motor skills (like handwriting or using small tools)

 

Williams Syndrome

Williams Syndrome is a rare genetic condition.
People with this condition are missing a small piece of information (genes) from one of their chromosomes.

No one knows exactly why this happens.
It is not passed down from parents.
In the UK, about 1 in every 18,000 people are born with Williams Syndrome.

It is classed as a learning disability, and everyone with the condition is affected in different ways.

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Early Signs and Development

• Babies may be born smaller or lighter than other babies.
• They may grow more slowly than other children.
• They can have feeding or bowel difficulties.
• Some may find it hard to sleep.
• Children may be slow at holding things or learning new skills.

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Appearance

Williams Syndrome can sometimes be recognised by a person’s facial features, such as:

• A wide mouth
• Full, round cheeks
• Small gaps between the teeth

Because of this, it is sometimes compared to Down Syndrome, which also has visible traits.

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Personality and Behaviour

People with Williams Syndrome are often:

• Very friendly and chatty
• • Babies may be born smaller or lighter than other babies.
  • They may grow more slowly than other children.
  • They can have feeding or bowel difficulties.
  • Some may find it hard to sleep.
  • Children may be slow at holding things or learning new skills.

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  Appearance

  Williams Syndrome can sometimes be recognised by a person’s facial features, such as:

  • A wide mouth
  • Full, round cheeks
  • Small gaps between the teeth

  Because of this, it is sometimes compared to Down Syndrome, which also has visible traits.

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  Personality and Behaviour

  People with Williams Syndrome are often:

  • Very friendly and chatty
  • Loving and sociable
  • Keen to talk and connect with others

  However, they might also find it hard to understand personal space or social boundaries.

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  Health and Mental Health

  As they grow older, people with Williams Syndrome may experience:

  • Physical health problems
  • Anxiety or other mental health difficulties

  Doctors can diagnose the condition using a blood test.

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  Support and Treatment

  People with Williams Syndrome may benefit from:

  • Physiotherapy – to help with movement and coordination
  • Speech and Language Therapy – to support communication skills
  • Special education support – to help with learning and confidence