Uncommon genetic syndromes and narrative production - Case Studies with William...

• Author(s): Garayzábal Heinze, Elena ; Capo, Magdalena ; Moruno Lopéz, Esther ; Gonçalves, Óscar F. ; Férnandez, Montserrat ; Lens, María ; Sampaio, Adriana
• Date: 2012
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/17404
• Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
• Subject(s): Williams syndrome; Smith-Magenis syndrome; Prader-Willi syndrome; Narrative abilities
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

This study compares narrative production among three syndromes with genetic microdeletions: Williams syndrome (WS), Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), and Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), characterized by intellectual disabilities and relatively spared language abilities. Our objective is to study the quality of narrative production in the context of a common intellectual disability. To elicit a narrative production, the task Frog! Where Are You was used. Then, structure, process, and content of the narrative process were analysed in the three genetic disorders:WS (n52), SMS (n52), and PWS (n52). Data show evidence of an overall low narrative quality in these syndromes, despite a high variability within different measures of narrative production. Results support the hypothesis that narrative is a highly complex cognitive process and that, in a context of intellectual disability, there is no evidence of particular ‘hypernarrativity’ in these syndromes.