Brief Report: The Impact of Sensory Hypersensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty on Anxiety in Williams Syndrome.

Uljarević et al. (2018) asked parents of adults with Williams syndrome to fill out three short surveys. The surveys measured sensory hypersensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, and anxiety.

The team then used statistics to see which survey scores best predicted anxiety in these adults.

Both sensory hypersensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty scored high as separate predictors of anxiety. When both were present, anxiety levels were highest.

The pattern looked much like what clinicians already see in autism.

Hwang et al. (2020) found the same three-link chain—sensitivity → uncertainty → anxiety—in autistic adults. This suggests the model works across Williams syndrome and autism.

Oliver et al. (2012) showed that adults with Williams syndrome can reliably report their own anxiety, sometimes revealing more than caregivers notice. Mirko’s parent-only method may miss this extra information.

MacLennan et al. (2021) extended the idea downward: in autistic preschoolers, sensory hyperreactivity also feeds uncertainty and anxiety. The pathway seems to start early and stay stable.

If you serve adults with Williams syndrome, screen for sound or touch hypersensitivity and for rigid routines. Targeting these areas—through graduated exposure, sensory breaks, or visual schedules—may lower anxiety without adding new drugs. The same tactics you already use for autistic clients are likely to fit here.