Visuospatial cognition in Williams syndrome: reviewing and accounting for the strengths and weaknesses in performance

Farran, E. K. and Jarrold, O. (2003) Visuospatial cognition in Williams syndrome: reviewing and accounting for the strengths and weaknesses in performance. Developmental Neuropsychology, 23 (1-2). pp. 173-200. ISSN 8756-5641 doi: 10.1207/S15326942DN231&2_8

Abstract/Summary

Individuals with Williams syndrome typically show relatively poor visuospatial abilities in comparison to stronger verbal skills. However, individuals' level of performance is not consistent across all visuospatial tasks. The studies assessing visuospatial functioning in Williams syndrome are critically reviewed, to provide a clear pattern of the relative difficulty of these tasks. This prompts a possible explanation of the variability in performance seen, which focuses on the processing demands of some of these tasks. Individuals with Williams syndrome show an atypical processing style on tests of construction, which does not affect tests of perception.