Dr Mary Heald from the University of Birmingham discusses current behavioural research in learning
Cognitive Characteristics of Angelman Syndrome
Only a few research studies have been done to look at the cognitive characteristics of children with Angelman syndrome. This may be due to the lack of appropriate tests for assessing cognition in children with severe to profound intellectual disability.
In addition to general deficits in cognition, Angelman syndrome is associated with specific impairments in learning, attention and memory.
Mouse models of Angelman syndrome have consistently found deficits in the rates of learning acquisition.
Individuals with Angelman syndrome have been found to have a short attention span, however, it is not known whether attention span is impaired more than in individuals with intellectual disability without Angelman syndrome.