Introduction:
Williams Syndrome (WS) is a very rare syndrome (1:20,000) which is caused by a microdeletion on chromosome 7q11.23 and results in the individual being hyper-sociable, having high levels of anxiety and having difficulties with social, behavioural and cognitive skills. Previous research indicates that anxiety is the most prevalent mental illness found in individuals with WS and within that, specific phobias are most common. Individuals with WS find it difficult to maintain friendships and use appropriate means of communication due to their extreme desire to socialize will all people, familiar and unfamiliar. The relationship between anxiety and social functioning in individuals with WS is not fully understood and researchers wonder whether the social phenotype could protect individuals from anxiety or whether …show more content…
The individuals’ diagnoses were confirmed via genetic testing and their verbal ability and nonverbal abilities were assessed prior to the study using the British Picture Vocabulary Scale II (BPVSII; Dunn et al. 1997) and the Ravens Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM; Raven et al. 1990). Data pertaining to this study was attained through parent questionnaires. The scale used to measure the individual’s anxiety level was the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-Parent Version (SCAS-P; Spence, 1998) which consisted of 38 items on 6 subscales; panic/agoraphobia, separation anxiety, physical injury fears, social phobia, OCD and GAD (Some items were altered for parents with children over the age of 18). The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; Constantino and Gruber, 2005) was used to measure social reciprocity and consisted of 65 items on 5 subscales; social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation and autistic mannerisms. Both of these scales were found to have extremely high internal
Williams Syndrome (WS) is a very rare syndrome (1:20,000) which is caused by a microdeletion on chromosome 7q11.23 and results in the individual being hyper-sociable, having high levels of anxiety and having difficulties with social, behavioural and cognitive skills. Previous research indicates that anxiety is the most prevalent mental illness found in individuals with WS and within that, specific phobias are most common. Individuals with WS find it difficult to maintain friendships and use appropriate means of communication due to their extreme desire to socialize will all people, familiar and unfamiliar. The relationship between anxiety and social functioning in individuals with WS is not fully understood and researchers wonder whether the social phenotype could protect individuals from anxiety or whether …show more content…
The individuals’ diagnoses were confirmed via genetic testing and their verbal ability and nonverbal abilities were assessed prior to the study using the British Picture Vocabulary Scale II (BPVSII; Dunn et al. 1997) and the Ravens Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM; Raven et al. 1990). Data pertaining to this study was attained through parent questionnaires. The scale used to measure the individual’s anxiety level was the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-Parent Version (SCAS-P; Spence, 1998) which consisted of 38 items on 6 subscales; panic/agoraphobia, separation anxiety, physical injury fears, social phobia, OCD and GAD (Some items were altered for parents with children over the age of 18). The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; Constantino and Gruber, 2005) was used to measure social reciprocity and consisted of 65 items on 5 subscales; social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation and autistic mannerisms. Both of these scales were found to have extremely high internal