For most of her life, Linda has never handled money. As an adult with Williams Syndrome she was, typically, very poor with any numerical concepts. Counting up in ones was about the limit of her skills. When it came to money, every item in the world could be bought with a one pound coin or … Read more
Linda looks forwards to things… Meeting people, birthdays, pocket money day or her next meal. All seem to be anticipated with equal, sometimes intense excitement. One of the things that I have grown accustomed to is sitting down to a long anticipated meal, sometimes something that in it’s own right was celebrated as a special … Read more
We’ve just celebrated Easter and Linda has, once more demonstrated the musical gifts that accompany Williams Syndrome. As part of the many church services there’s an abundance of new music – and Linda will not be left out. She can’t read music but can recall a tune pretty much after a single hearing. When it … Read more
Easter’s close and there’s only one thing on Linda’s mind. Easter eggs! For weeks now she has collected every magazine or leaflet with pictures of Easter-related goodies on it… and yes, that’s in addition to the usual leaflets about bargains, food, holidays, entertainment, football or TV programmes. We must have one of the largest recycling … Read more
We’ve been aware that Linda seems to be thirsty, drinking plenty of liquids and also goes to the toilet frequently… so much so that we asked the GP to check her out for diabetes. That’s a quick dipstick test in a sample of urine – tricky to get the urine, simple to do the test! … Read more
We recently bought this book: “Understanding Williams Syndrome: Behavioral Patterns and Interventions” by Eleanor Semel and Sue R. Rosner as the title and description on Amazon made it sound like just what we wanted to read – an expert text on Williams Syndrome but also pitched at parents and carers. It also promised to both … Read more
Living with Linda full time means you get to really see how common things are on a day by day basis. One phrase that comes up again and again is: “Sister, can I have a tablet?” Linda is asking for medication, paracetamol usually, for… well sometimes it’s a headache, sometimes tummy pain, sometimes joint pains. … Read more
When you know someone who has, or might have Williams Syndrome, often your first reaction is to begin to search for information on the internet. If you’ve done this, you’ll no doubt have read that there are many possible symptoms. As a parent you’re often aware of the slow development of your child. You often … Read more
If you’ve ever entered “Williams Syndrome” into an internet search engine you’ve probably also received an answer that describes it as a complex condition caused by a microdeletion of a small number of genes from one copy of Chromosome 7, but what does that mean? Williams Syndrome Genetics The many possible symptoms of Williams Syndrome … Read more
If you’re searching for this information the chances are that you know someone who has, or may have Williams Syndrome. My sister was only diagnosed in her 40s. My parents struggled to understand what was happening with their child… I hope most people are now diagnosed as children and have much better support from various … Read more