Students with Williams Syndrome bring new challenges and unique gifts to the elementary classroom. Like most children with disabilities, students with WS are usually in special education programs and receive support outside your classroom. If you have specific questions about your student’s goals, strengths, or weaknesses, make sure to refer to their Individualized Education Plan documents! Your student may also have a health plan. Many people with Williams Syndrome have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, as well as mental health disorders like anxiety.
What Is Williams Syndrome?
Williams Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder seen in about 1 in every 10,000 births. Although it is characterized by cognitive impairments and some social dysfunction, many adults with Williams Syndrome are able to live independently if given the right tools. Likewise, many children with WS are able to attend general education classes with support.
Learning Profile of Williams Syndrome
People with Williams Syndrome have a unique personality and learning profile. Those with WS are gifted with high empathy and are often described as friendly, fun, and happy. There are many strengths common to WS individuals. Many have a natural interest in music and can learn well from repetitive tasks.
With these strengths also come weaknesses that include cognitive delays and learning disabilities. Common deficits also include spatial reasoning, abstract thinking, and fine motor skills. It is also common for people with WS to have attention disorders and other learning disabilities.
Children with WS are usually in special education programs and receive support outside your classroom. For American educators, make sure to refer to their Individualized Education Plan documents!
It’s possible that your student with WS has a health plan. Many people with WS have mental health disorders—anxiety being a common one. They often also have cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It is essential to keep these factors in mind when managing your classroom.
1. Encourage Social Skills in the Classroom
As mentioned earlier, children with Williams Syndrome have unique profiles that give them increased empathy and friendliness. This is a strength: it helps children develop friendships and encourages their robust language skills. It’s important not to stifle these positive traits. Instead, use these strengths to their advantage in the classroom. Always encourage appropriate social time with your students and make sure you model the same behavior in return.
2. Use Peer Tutoring
Peer tutoring is an excellent way to build an inclusive classroom and encourage productive social time. When reading time rolls around, choose a program like PALS instead of independent reading. Pair high-achieving students with low-achieving students and allow the low-achieving students to model their peer’s behavior. The higher-achieving student models correct reading to their peers; if mistakes are made, they can help encourage and tutor them. Not only does this help the low-achieving child, but the other student also learns by teaching.
3. Encourage Parallel Play
Parallel play is an important foundation for many social activities, but this can be difficult to master for those with WS. Some students can find their peer’s extroversion off-putting. Encourage your student to enjoy their classmate’s company on shared terms. These social skills help them develop friendships and healthy relationship boundaries and allow another method to model healthy behavior.
4. Allow Fidget Toys
Fidget toys are one method for processing stimuli. When experiencing external stress, the child can release that with movements that they can control. There are a lot of options, from small handheld devices to chewable pencil toppers. While these can help in a classroom, they can also distract others. A fidget contract can ensure that these toys are used appropriately.
5. Manage Noise Sensitivity
Educators familiar with the autism spectrum will already understand the importance of managing sensory input. Unpleasant sounds, smells, and sights can cause pain and interrupt learning. Children with Williams Syndrome are especially sensitive to loud or shrill noises. Squeaky chairs and noisy whiteboards are common culprits of classroom frustration. Sometimes we have to be creative with these fixes, like installing tennis balls on the bottom of every chair. Other options are more simple like playing background music during class or providing noise-reducing headphones to students.
6. Play Music Between Activities
Switching tasks can be difficult for many students with disabilities. Although routines are vital, they can be hard to build. An easy way to add in these tasks is to play music before switching tasks. After a verbal reminder like “five minutes until journal time!” playing music can ease the transition process. Your student will hear the sound and expect your instructions. If the “clean up song” lasts two minutes every time it’s played, your student will understand that is their time frame to prepare for the next task.
7. Integrate Music Into Lessons
Children with Williams Syndrome especially enjoy auditory learning and love music. Abstract thinking is especially difficult for students with Williams Syndrome. These topics, especially math and science concepts, can be eased with an accessible presentation. There are limitless resources for educational songs on YouTube that can help show these ideas.
Works Cited
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Williams syndrome. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Retrieved January 18, 2023