Empathic responsiveness and helping behaviours in young children with Williams syndrome

Anecdotal and caregiver reports often highlight the sociability and empathy of children with Williams syndrome (WS), a genetically based neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by a distinctive, cognitive and social phenotype. Despite these characteristics, people with WS have many difficulties navigating the social world. In this study, we investigated whether the heightened social motivation and empathy demonstrated by children with WS lead to prosocial behaviours such as instrumental helping.

We compared 2;8 to 5;8 year olds with WS to an age-matched and developmental quotient-matched group of children with Down syndrome (DS) and an age-matched group of typically developing children, in their responses to semi-structured naturalistic situations designed to elicit empathic and helping behaviours.

Children with WS showed more empathic concern than both comparison groups towards a person in distress but did not differ from controls in their level of helping behaviour. Children in both the WS and DS groups consistently received higher ratings on empathy than on helpfulness, in contrast to the balanced profile shown by the typically developing children.

Findings suggest that the heightened emotional responsivity displayed by children with WS or DS does not readily translate into other forms of socially competent behaviour. The complex relations between empathy and prosocial behaviours in typical and atypical development are discussed.