7 ms·
Living with Williams Syndrome, the 'opposite of autism' (2014)
- ryandv 1y agoAre you a patient of this condition or something? Would you mind sharing your story?
- learningmore 1y agoPublished in 2014.
- firefax 1y ago>Published in 2014. Yes, that is in the article. Anything you wish to add? Developments since then the article lacks?
- southwindcg 1y agoIt's common practice here to point out the date of older articles so the year can be added to the post title.
- type0 1y agoit's not a blog article about outdated technical topics, so who cares
- dang 1y agoIt's just a convention. We (moderators) append the year of an article (in parens) when an article is from a previous year. Of course we miss many cases, and commenters often helpfully point those out. In this case colinprince added the year to the title (thanks!) but otherwise we would have. It's not that anybody did anything wrong—historical material is welcome here! and it's nice for readers to know roughly what time an article dates from. That's all.
- firefax 1y agoSorry I was snippy, I thought they were casting aspersions on the science inside the article due to the date, which is a pet peeve given anything biosciences related moves much more slowly than CS given the (rightful and good) restrictions around human subjects research.
- firefax 1y ago>It's common practice here to point out the date of older articles so the year can be added to the post title. I see, I hope you can understand where I was coming from, seeing the year in the title paired with what looks like a snarky comment devoid of any analysis of said article.
- aaron695 1y ago[dead]
- empressplay 1y agoDespite having almost all of the prerequisite conditions (heart murmur, lazy eye, left-dominant, hernia, poor motor skills etc.) this was ruled out for me when I was a child due to exhibiting a high-IQ (~130), and I was repeatedly diagnosed with autism, despite being outgoing and high-EQ (and horribly naive!). When I got older I began to develop connective tissue disorders and spasticity, which were incapacitating until I found treatment. I was diagnosed with EDS but that may also have been not-quite-correct, since apparently these issues are also common in WS. Also, it apparently _is_ possible for people with WS to also have higher-than-average IQs. God, life is so frustrating sometimes!
- catchcatchcatch 1y ago[dead]
- cjbgkagh 1y agoAll your items on your list for WS is on my list for hEDS, add in the IQ and I’d say likely 2 TNXB SNPs, do a high quality WGS to be sure. Given the hEDS I highly doubt you have WS as well, just hEDS presents in a variety of depending on other co-occurring SNPs and you got a particular combo. hEDS is far more common than currently thought because the medical diagnostics are not very sensitive, it’s a spectrum and what doctors tend to think of hEDS is the severe form of it.
- iainctduncan 1y agoWilliams Syndrome is discussed in the (fantastic!) book by Oliver Sacks, "Musicophelia". It is often associated with hypermusicality, and the chapter on it is super interesting.
- type0 1y agoI spoke with one person with WS recently, very musically minded. I haven't recognized what the syndrome was at the time, but I remembered that it was some textbook case of genetic disorder. As adults I think they're aware to be gullible and might take "too much precautions" when it comes to crime in a city so they might bother the police a bit too much.
- ratmeadow 1y agoEmpathy, hypersensitivity, anxiety, difficulty understanding social nuance, nonstandard eye contact - it actually sounds quite similar to autism, rather than the opposite. (Not the stereotypical autistic traits that most people misunderstand but the actual traits.) The overlap is interesting. I wonder if in the future some related mechanisms/explanations will be discovered.
- exasperaited 1y agoThe specific "opposite" they talk about is clarified further in the article and is interesting: > Lizzie Hurst, chief executive at the Williams Syndrome Foundation, says: "People [with the disorder] conduct themselves in a way that makes them extremely vulnerable. > "They don't have the cognitive ability to match their linguistic age. > "There is a classic autistic profile to which Williams Syndrome is the polar opposite. People can gauge the mood of a crowd and adopt without understanding the nuances of the situation." The last bit of that is the difference, right? You wouldn't say an autistic person could easily gauge the mood of a crowd and adopt. These are people who are -- compared to neurotypical people! -- social butterflies, linguistically talented, friendly, open, happy-go-lucky, but gullible. This is not the picture of classic autism for sure. It does feel somewhat opposite. But then I guess one of the interesting things about opposites is that they are within the same plane or category, right? The opposite of a knife is another item of cutlery, not a haddock. It seems like this syndrome is a genetic deletion, which is not my understanding of autism, but it presumably could have some similar neurological impacts.
- shazbotter 1y ago> People with WS are empathetic, social, friendly and endearing but they tend to have a low IQ, making tasks such as counting money difficult. > They can feel anxious over stimuli such as the buzzing of a bee, or the texture of food. Plenty of autistic folks are empathetic, social, and friendly. And many experience stimuli that cause anxiety. The whole "it's the opposite of autism" doesn't actually help anyone understand and, IMO, reinforces the incorrect idea that autistic people are asocial, emotionless automata.
- antonvs 1y ago[flagged]
- ratmeadow 1y agoFrom what I've read there's been a history of people not fitting the strict "Asperger's boy" type traits being excluded from autism diagnoses, so we end up with a narrow, wrong stereotype. Plenty of autistic people who outwardly appear antisocial and plenty who appear quite social. Also worth remembering that autism occurence significantly overlaps with other conditions like ADHD, which may mold the presentation of the traits.
- porknubbins 1y agoHaving worked with some brilliant people with autism, I argue that deficits in cognitive empathy/ inability understand intuitively what other people are thiking in real time is the hallmark of autism. Moreso than anything about emotions, body language, social skills etc this is the most common trait. It pops up in odd places no matter how much you mask or learn the visible skills.
- FollowingTheDao 1y agoBut as someone with Asperger’s I can tell you we have a lot of emotional empathy. In fact, we have too much.
- 1y ago
- dang 1y agoRelated. Others? Williams Syndrome: The people who are too friendly - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44011380 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44011380 - May 2025 (2 comments) Williams Syndrome - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24536693 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24536693 - Sept 2020 (2 comments) Williams syndrome - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22082839 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22082839 - Jan 2020 (7 comments) Williams Syndrome: What World’s Most Sociable People Reveal About Friendliness - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20093646 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20093646 - June 2019 (5 comments) Living with Williams Syndrome, the 'opposite of autism' - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7583121 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7583121 - April 2014 (65 comments)
- austin-cheney 1y agoNot the same, but another genetic disorder that also impacts intelligence and social reasoning is Fragile X. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragile_X_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragile_X_syndrome
- tsoukase 1y agoIntelligence is extremely sensitive to all chromosome abnormalities (eg all trisomies, Klinefelter syndrom)
- RobRivera 1y agoThe opposite of something with a large spectrum... I just can't sorry
- mjklin 1y agoOne theory for how wolves became domesticated is that certain of them had a condition like Williams that made them friendly to humans, who became the ancestors of modern dogs. It was mentioned on the Ologies podcast that covered canines I believe.
- Aachen 1y agoMakes me wonder if the original wolf is similarly smarter as well Tamed is a nice read by Alice Roberts, about domestication of various species like potatoes and horses (most of them before written history, so it's a puzzle with pieces being put together with archeological finds). One chapter is about dogs aka domesticated wolves
- ziofill 1y agoBack when I was in high school I read a book ("the speed of dark" by Elizabeth Moon) which is written from the perspective of an autistic person who works for a pharmaceutical company (I won't add spoilers). It was full of nuggets of wisdom that made me appreciate how many autistic people just think differently, and how the deficit perspective is wrong and conterproductive.
- r0ze-at-hn 1y agoArmchair geneticist: So in the group of genes that are deleted in particular LIMK1 stands out. After it is deleted there is only 1 copy behind. The other copy could be less effective as sometimes seen, but Estrogen in particular inactivates LIMK1. So in those with genetics for high estrogen signaling (that they are also known for) are more likely to inactivate the one remaining copy of LIMK1. And then you get the highly verbal, social, poor math & visual-spatial information, outcome. This combo would be more likely to be found in families of HPA Axis issues so anxiety, insomnia, etc I would speculate come along for the ride, more than directly influence that brain development branch. It is always more complicated, but for the curious. Edit: lol no need to actually poke around just see wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_syndrome#Cause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_syndrome#Cause
- sandspar 1y agoPeople get upset when I share this anecdote but I think it's enlightening. I talked to a guy whose sister has Williams Syndrome. About her personality, he said "She's like a Golden Retriever who can text." I got the sense that he was referring to her cheerfulness, kindness, and inspiring openness. I also got the sense that he felt very protective of her, as if she were a young woman with a beautiful soul who is nevertheless extremely vulnerable.
- rickandmorty99 1y agoI was late diagnosed with autism at 35 due to sleeping difficulties. I don't have a lot of social difficulties. I currently have some at work but before this job I didn't have issues. I have 0 dating difficulties, mostly because I tackled that issue in my early teens studied everything I could find and at one point I just got it. I'm not sensitive to light or smells. I am slightly sensitive to sound such as sirens from an ambulance. My special interest revolves around learning anything and everything (basically the Hacker News ethos about being curious), which is also atypical as it isn't a restrictive interest. The comments here need to be a bit careful with what autism is as it can present itself very differently in people. In part this is because the medical establishment doesn't know a lot yet about what it is. Only quite recently did they find that there's 4 subtypes [1]. It's funny. My wife, non-autistic, tells me I'm one of the most emotionally intelligent men she knows. She keeps saying that. In part, I trained it through meditation (1000 hours in), in part it's just really about paying attention. She hasn't been the only one. I've also met one person at times saying I lack empathy and come across as robotic at times. But I can tell you, in general, I empathize and feel things. I have noticed that I can't always communicate well that I understand what other people mean. When I was younger they went on to explain it to me and it was always really annoying since I understood but people thought I didn't. I often go against the grain with things because I think things are foolish. If I'd have done otherwise, I'd have definitely been trapped into the toxic masculine culture and drink a lot more alcohol. So often times what I do may not look empathetic or sympathetic but that's because many people don't care that they are toxic themselves and then just put the emotional burden to me. Related to empathy: ever since I got the autism diagnosis, to the people I've told, I've seen an uptick in them saying I'm not empathetic at times by one person. So sharing your diagnosis does give some people a prejudice over you that shouldn't really be there. [1] https://www.princeton.edu/news/2025/07/09/major-autism-study-uncovers-biologically-distinct-subtypes-paving-way-precision https://www.princeton.edu/news/2025/07/09/major-autism-study...
- JackMorgan 1y agoI wonder how this relates to Sensory Processing Sensitivity? I know some folks with this who experience some of the same attributes but are otherwise very high IQ. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_sensitivity https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_sensitivi...
- codr7 1y agoThis doesn't sound much like an opposite to me. There are different levels of ADHD, and many are judged as stupid in school simply because they're bored and overstimulated at the same time. The rest of the traits described are pretty common in ADHD from my experience.
- FollowingTheDao 1y agoPeople with autism and Asperger‘s have empathy. Just updating people cause this article is from 2014 and they didn’t know that back then. And I don’t think being endearing to people is representative of empathy.
- Shorel 1y agoI think I get that syndrome when I am around a woman who I find very attractive.
- yapyap 1y agopretty wild title, very ignorant as well
- Fnoord 1y ago> People with WS are empathetic, social, friendly and endearing but they tend to have a low IQ, making tasks such as counting money difficult. FWIW, this describes me (ASD, diagnosed) on XTC.
- akk0 1y agoThis is the opposite of autism like dogs are the opposite of cats.
- tsoukase 1y agoEspecially we can say, all dogs are autistic and all cats have William's.
- FollowingTheDao 1y agoThis article is old and stupid. They find traits of Autism in Williams Syndrome. Why do ten year old science articles make it to the top of HN? Symptoms of autism in Williams syndrome: a transdiagnostic approach https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-68089-0 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-68089-0 Autism and Williams syndrome: truly mirror conditions in the socio-cognitive domain? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9351567/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9351567/
- smnthermes 1y agoAutism is a common comorbidity of Williams syndrome.