Sleep and Language Development in Toddlers with William's Syndrome

The Williams Syndrome Association states that:

Williams syndrome is a genetic condition that is present at birth and can affect anyone.  It is characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning disabilities.  These occur side by side with striking verbal abilities, highly social personalities and an affinity for music.

Axelsson, Hill, Sadeh, and Dimitriou (2013) state that sleep difficulties also arise in older children and adults with Williams Syndrome. Furthermore, they propose that language development of children with Williams Syndrome may be affected by the lack of sleep. In order to assess the relationship between language development and sleep deprivation Axelsson et al (2013) assessed 18 children with William's Syndrome and 18 children without Williams Syndrome. They found that, through using six questionnaires completed by parents, the children with Williams Syndrome tended to have a shorter night sleep, greater night wakings and wakefulness compared to the children without William Syndrome. As well as this they found that variation in the language development of children with Williams Syndrome was related to sleep duration.

References:

Axelsson E.L., Hill C.M., Sadeh A. & Dimitriou D. (2013). Sleep problems and language development in toddlers with Williams syndrome, Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34 (11) 3988-3996. DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.08.018