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Overlap with the autism spectrum in young children with Williams syndrome

Bonita P Klein-Tasman1, Kristin D Phillips, Catherine Lord

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA. bklein@uwm.edu

Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|August 12, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Young children with Williams syndrome (WS) show sociocommunicative differences compared to autism and PDD-NOS, suggesting these are not solely due to developmental delay.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic disorder associated with distinctive sociocommunicative profiles.
  • Limited language in young children with WS can complicate the assessment of social interaction.
  • Distinguishing WS from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial for appropriate intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare sociocommunicative abnormalities in young children with Williams syndrome (WS) and limited language.
  • To differentiate these abnormalities from those observed in children with autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and nonspectrum developmental disabilities.

Main Methods:

  • A case-controlled study involving 30 children with WS and matched groups with autism (n=28), PDD-NOS (n=17), and developmental disabilities (n=16).
  • Participants were matched for age, sex, and developmental level.
  • Standardized assessments included the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Module 1 and Mullen Scales of Early Learning.

Main Results:

  • Children with WS exhibited fewer sociocommunicative abnormalities than children with autism.
  • Sociocommunicative abnormalities in WS were comparable to PDD-NOS, with half showing fewer and half showing more abnormalities.
  • Children with WS displayed more reciprocity abnormalities than those with mixed developmental disabilities.

Conclusions:

  • Sociocommunicative difficulties are common in children with WS and overlap with the autism spectrum.
  • These difficulties are not solely explained by developmental delay.
  • Diagnostic overshadowing should be avoided in young children with WS to ensure accurate diagnosis and support.
Abstract

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