Early Social Cognitive Ability in Preschoolers with Prader-Willi Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Mom-disomy Prader-Willi preschoolers show autism-level social play gaps, so genotype guides early social plans.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched preschoolers play pretend. They compared three groups: kids with Prader-Willi syndrome from dad’s deletion, kids with Prader-Willi from mom’s disomy, and kids with autism.
They used play scenes to see how each child read social cues and joined the story.
What they found
Children with the dad-deletion type played and talked like typical peers. Children with the mom-disomy type looked almost the same as children with autism—flat play, poor eye contact, little shared fun.
The mom-disomy group showed early social-cognitive holes just like the autism group.
How this fits with other research
Dimitropoulos et al. (2013) saw the same split six years earlier. They used a parent checklist and still found mom-disomy PWS scoring as poorly as autism. The new study adds live play data, so the story is stronger, not different.
Saima et al. (2022) moved the lens to adults. They showed that sensory issues in mom-disomy PWS predict autism-like behaviors later. The preschool social gap we see here may be the start of that longer track.
Qi et al. (2025) pooled autism language studies. They found these children predict words from meaning but not from tone. Our PWS mom-disomy kids acted the same during play—strong on facts, weak on social sound.
Why it matters
If you test a child with Prader-Willi, ask the genetic report. Mom-disomy? Screen for autism traits early and start social scripts, joint-attention games, and peer practice. Dad-deletion? Still watch, but you can focus on other needs first.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with challenges in social cognitive ability, Research comparing PWS to ASD is important given the implication of 15q11-q13 region in the biology of autism. However, recent findings question the accuracy of relying solely on parent report in behavioral characterization. Thus, this study examined social cognition in an observable pretend play task and by parent report in 50 preschool children (ages 3-5) with PWS, by subtype, compared to ASD. Behaviorally, the paternal deletion subtype expressed overall higher functioning, whereas the maternal uniparental disomy subtype performed more similarly to the ASD group. Results are the first to show deficits in social cognitive ability early in development. The severity and differences in deficits between PWS subtypes are important in informing early intervention efforts.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04152-4