Visuo-spatial and linguistic abilities in a twin with Williams syndrome.

Doctors compared one twin with Williams syndrome to her sister without it. They gave both girls the same tests for space skills, words, and memory. The goal was to see which skills stayed strong and which lagged behind.

The Williams twin showed broad delays, yet she beat her sister on three tasks. She named more faces, listed more words that start with 'S', and recalled specific stories better. These pockets of strength sat inside an overall slow profile.

Amore et al. (2011) later tested face attention in a bigger WS group. They found the same long face gaze, but showed it comes from slow disengagement, not super-powered recognition. The twin data and the group data line up: faces hold WS attention longer.

Emerson et al. (2007) added emotional faces and upside-down faces. WS kids again outscored autism peers on upright happy or angry faces, yet fell apart when faces flipped. Together the papers say: expect face skill only when photos are upright and emotional.

Hsu (2013) looked at picture context, not faces. WS people could still combine scene clues like controls, just slower. So the 'islands of strength' idea keeps showing up, but speed is the hidden cost.

When you test a child with Williams syndrome, probe face naming and verbal fluency first. These quick wins build rapport and show caregivers what is possible. Keep tasks short, because even spared skills run on a slower clock. Use upright, expressive photos for social training; skip inverted or neutral images that trip them up. Finally, share the twin story with parents: delays are real, but bright spots are measurable and teachable.