Executive function in Williams and Down syndromes.
Williams and Down syndromes both show clear, task-specific executive-function deficits that do not follow their usual verbal-visuospatial reputations.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Tassé et al. (2013) compared executive-function skills in three groups: Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, and typically-developing peers.
They gave each person tasks that tapped four EF areas: working memory, shifting, planning, and inhibition.
The team looked at both verbal and visuospatial versions of each task to see if strengths in one area carried over.
What they found
Both syndrome groups scored below the control group on every EF task.
Williams syndrome did not show a clear verbal edge, and Down syndrome did not show a clear visuospatial edge.
Weaknesses were tied to the task type, not to the classic language-or-space profile of each syndrome.
How this fits with other research
Costanzo et al. (2013) ran almost the same study the same year and saw the same overall lag, giving the results a direct replication.
Hong et al. (2021) later pooled 57 studies in a meta-analysis and confirmed large EF deficits in Down syndrome, so the 2013 picture still holds.
Morrison et al. (2017) took the idea further: they showed that in primary-grade children with Down syndrome, the same EF gaps predict math and reading scores, linking the earlier lab data to real classroom skills.
Why it matters
If you assess a child with Williams or Down syndrome, do not assume that strong vocabulary or good puzzle skills mean EF will be strong.
Test each EF area separately and use task formats that match the goal you are teaching.
For Down syndrome, target working memory and shifting first; these drive both academic and daily-living skills shown in later studies.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Williams (WS) and Down (DS) syndromes are characterised by roughly opposing ability profiles. Relative verbal strengths and visuospatial difficulties have been reported in those with WS, while expressive language difficulties have been observed in individuals with DS. Few investigations into the executive function (EF) skills of these groups have examined the effect of verbal/visuospatial task type on performance. Analogous verbal and visuospatial measures were administered to these populations within four EF domains: executive-loaded working memory (ELWM), inhibition, fluency and set-shifting. Performance in both groups was compared to that of typically developing (TD) children using regression techniques controlling for potentially influential cognitive/developmental factors. Individuals with WS showed the expected relative visuospatial difficulties, as indicated by poorer performance than TD individuals, on tests of ELWM and fluency. Individuals with DS displayed the expected relative verbal difficulty in the domain of set-shifting. In addition, each population showed pervasive deficits across modality in one domain; ELWM for individuals with DS, and inhibition for individuals with WS. Individuals with WS and DS showed EF difficulties in comparison to a TD group, but, their executive performance was affected by EF task type (verbal/visuospatial) and EF domain in different ways. While the findings indicated that EF in these populations is characterised by a range of specific strengths and weaknesses, it was also suggested that the relative verbal/visuospatial strengths associated with each population do not consistently manifest across EF domains. Lastly, syndrome specificity was indicated by the differences in groups' performance patterns.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.07.013