16 Facts About Williams syndrome

Williams syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects many parts of the body.

Williams syndrome is caused by a genetic abnormality, specifically a deletion of about 27 genes from the long arm of one of the two chromosome 7s.

Williams syndrome is noteworthy for exhibiting abnormalities in the parietal-dorsal areas of the neocortex, but not the ventral areas.

Facial dysmorphies thought to be characteristic of the Williams syndrome are present early in development, as are heart murmurs.

Research on the development of the Williams syndrome suggests that congenital heart disease is typically present at an early age, often at the infant's first pediatric appointment.

Williams syndrome is marked by a delay in the development of motor skills.

Adults and adolescents with Williams syndrome typically achieve a below-average height and weight, compared with unaffected populations.

One study of 306 children with Williams syndrome found IQ scores ranging from 40 to 112 with a mean of 69.

Some other strengths that have been associated with Williams syndrome are auditory short-term memory and facial recognition skills.

People with Williams syndrome tend to use speech that is rich in emotional descriptors, high in prosody, and features unusual terms and strange idioms.

Infants with Williams syndrome make normal and frequent eye contact, and young children with Williams will often approach and hug strangers.

People affected by Williams syndrome typically have high empathy, showing relative strength in reading people's eyes to gauge intentions, emotions, and mental states.

In one experiment, a group of children with Williams syndrome showed no signs of racial bias, unlike children without the syndrome.

Williams syndrome is a microdeletion syndrome caused by the spontaneous deletion of genetic material from the chromosomal region 7q11.

Less reliable signs of the Williams syndrome include anteverted nostrils, a wide mouth, and an elongated neck.

One notable person with the Williams syndrome is Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, a Canadian actress and singer who won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in 2014 for her performance in the film Gabrielle.