Intervention Issues in Persons With Williams Syndrome
Elisabeth M. Dykens, Ph.D.

While behavioral data from persons with genetic syndromes may ultimately inform gene-brain-behavior relations, phenotypic data can be put to immediate good use as guideposts for educational, vocational, and mental health interventions. Weaving together behavioral data and clinical experience, this paper describes treatment recommendations for persons with Williams Syndrome. Specific recommendations are made based on the unusual cognitive-linguistic profile seen in many individuals with Williams Syndrome, as well as on the syndrome's characteristic social disinhibition, inattention, anxiety, and fears. The limitations of syndrome-specific treatment recommendations are discussed, as are questions for future intervention research.

Ment Health Aspects Dev Disabil 2001;4(4):130-137