What It's Like Having A Disease That Makes You Trust Everyone
Adults with Williams, however, have a vastly different set of challenges than their younger counterparts. After a lifetime of parents and caretakers constantly watching out for their safety, can they learn how to protect themselves? Move independently in the world? And can they take on that hallowed marker of adulthood: a job?
To answer that last question, it's important to understand the scientific basis of Williams Syndrome, and what makes individuals with the condition pathologically vulnerable. Why does Monkaba, for example, fear her son Ben getting a job in Vegas? It has to do with the way his brain is structured, which diminishes his social wariness to an extreme degree — and for Ben, that could be dangerous.
The human body contains roughly 30,000 genes, but at conception, the deletion of just 26 — a string comprising less than one percent of your genetic code — along chromosome seven results in Williams Syndrome. Their absence manifests in a variety of characteristics, and Dr. Colleen Morris, genetics section chief at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, is quick to point out that it's a "multisystem disorder" — meaning it affects lots of areas of the body besides the brain, and looks different on different people.
"That being said, there are some general commonalities," Morris says. "They get easily fatigued, and we're still trying to understand why. There's also a higher incidence of diabetes and hypothyroidism, as well as cardiovascular disease."
And behaviorally?
"Friendliness, oh my gosh. Lots, lots of social interest. High levels of empathy. Distractibility too, which makes it harder for them to focus and get work done."
Read more:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/going-to-work-with-williams-syndrome/361374/
Being a born schnook!
