Williams syndrome

by Guest 16.04.20 7:11

Not sure where to put this
I cannot recall that this has been mentioned before, but some of the characteristics of this rare genetic syndrome struck a cord with me. If you look at the patients website and especially at the YouTube presentation they made you see smaller children that bear a resemblance to Madeleine. It is not really significant for solving the mystery of what happened to her but still, interesting I think.
Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic condition that is present at birth and can affect anyone. It is characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning challenges. These often occur side by side with striking verbal abilities, highly social personalities and an affinity for music.
Children with Williams syndrome tend to be social, friendly and endearing. Parents often say the joy and perspective a child with WS brings into their lives had been unimaginable. But there are major struggles as well.

There are many physical features and medical challenges which are fairly common to Williams syndrome. However, every child is an individual - the number of features present, and which features are present varies from child to child.

CHARACTERISTIC FACIAL APPEARANCE

Most young children with Williams syndrome are described as having similar facial features. These features include a small upturned nose, long philtrum (upper lip length), wide mouth, full lips, small chin, and puffiness around the eyes. Blue and green-eyed children with Williams syndrome can have a prominent "starburst" or white lacy pattern on their iris. Facial features become more apparent with age.
Most children with Williams syndrome have a slightly lower birth-weight than their brothers or sisters. Slow weight gain, especially during the first several years of life, is also a common problem and many children are diagnosed as "failure to thrive".

IRRITABILITY (COLIC DURING INFANCY)

Many infants with Williams syndrome have an extended period of colic or irritability. This typically lasts from 4 to 10 months of age, then resolves. Abnormal sleep patterns with delayed acquisition of sleeping through the night may be associated with the colic. Extreme irritability may also be caused by hypercalcemia in some children with WS.

DENTAL ABNORMALITIES

Slightly small, widely spaced teeth are common in children with Williams syndrome. They also may have a variety of abnormalities of occlusion (bite), tooth shape or appearance. Most of these dental changes are readily amenable to orthodontic correction.

OVERLY FRIENDLY (EXCESSIVELY SOCIAL) PERSONALITY

Individuals with Williams syndrome have a very endearing personality. They have a unique strength in their expressive language skills, and are extremely polite. They are typically unafraid of strangers and show a greater interest in contact with adults than with their peers.

DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY, LEARNING CHALLENGES AND ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER

Most people with Williams syndrome will have mild to severe learning differences and cognitive challenges. Young children with Williams syndrome often experience developmental delays. Milestones such as walking, talking and toilet training are often achieved somewhat later than is considered normal. Distractibility is a common problem in mid-childhood, which can improve as the children get older.
Older children and adults with Williams syndrome often demonstrate intellectual "strengths and weaknesses." There are some intellectual areas (such as speech, long term memory, and social skills) in which performance is quite strong, while other intellectual areas (such as fine motor and spatial relations) show significant weakness.

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