Author: Joseph Hindi — Staff Writer
Date: July 31st, 2025
All human beings have the capacity to acquire a language, and those with special needs are no exception. One thing is for sure though, language acquisition among those with special needs do not have the same capabilities as a normal person. That is especially true for those diagnosed with either Down Syndrome and Williams Syndrome. Individuals diagnosed with any one of these two conditions have exhibited difficulty in certain areas, as well as showcasing surprising abilities in others. This has led to a comparison for English Language acquisition among the two groups, and this article aims to tackle the similarities and differences between the two groups in terms of English Language acquisition.
Hypothesis
Although individuals with either Down Syndrome or Williams Syndrome experience delays in English Language acquisition, they differ significantly in the specific aspects of language affected—with Down Syndrome individuals demonstrating more pronounced challenges in syntax and articulation, and Williams Syndrome individuals experiencing difficulty in written and oral communication.
The Background Information
This section of the article will aim to provide the background of each of the designated genetic conditions.
The Down Syndrome is a genetic condition that results from an extra copy of chromosome 21, providing that person with 47 chromosomes instead of the typical 46. The features and symptoms of an individual are variable in quality and severity, but they are nonetheless common. A few of the physical features of a Down Syndrome individual include small ears and a small nose with a flat bridge. It has also been found by experts and observers that they have intellectual disabilities, meaning that “they have problems with memory, learning new things, focusing and thinking, or making decisions that affect their everyday life” (Mayo Clinic, 2024). In relation to the topic in discussion, language and speech are also delayed due to their delay in cognitive development. Experts have also clarified that Down Syndrome is not necessarily inherited, although that in itself is a possibility.
The Williams Syndrome is also a genetic condition, but this one is a result of the loss of a small upper piece/region of chromosome 7, and it is rarer than the DS with an estimated occurrence of 1 out 10,000 births in the United States (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). Those diagnosed with this Syndrome display—as a few physical characteristics—large ears, upturned nose, and a wide mouth. The symptoms themselves vary in severity, but some of the common ones include farsightedness, and even more serious ones such as cardiovascular diseases. Much like the DS, those with WS also display developmental delays in language and speech from an early age, especially when uttering their first words at childhood. The possibility of WS being passed down from parent to child is actually greater than that of DS despite its rarity, with the chances being as high as 50% in multiple cases.
The Methodologies of Analysis and the Results
In order to study and analyze the English Language acquisition of the two groups, tests and experiments were conducted that targeted different areas of language development. The subjects in question were children of different age groups, from as young as 3 years old to as old as 11 years of age. The Down Syndrome children were given tests and assessments to test their abilities, and what the experts found was that the DS children exhibited “…difficulties to formulate thoughts that are expressed using the appropriate word or combination of words” (Abbaisan and Ebrahimi, 2020, pg.46). Linguistically speaking, that means that their syntactic abilities in verbal communication are delayed due to their delay in cognitive development. However, while they lack expressive language abilities, their impressive language abilities (i.e. writing and reading abilities) is somehow comparable to that of a normal person, with DS children and individuals in general preferring to express their thoughts and ideas through oral means rather than verbal communication.
Similar case studies and experiments were also performed on children diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, as well as adults in some cases. Many of the same experiments were conducted, but they yielded different results from the Down Syndrome groups. The WS children and adults displayed convenient results in terms of verbal and expressive communication (which includes implication of grammar rules and vocabulary in a social setting), but lacked the ability to develop written and oral abilities as rapidly as the former skills. According to Alfieri et al. (2017, pg. 867), “intellectual abilities are not best represented by a single overall measure such as IQ because individuals with WS typically obtain higher scores for verbal compared with non-verbal abilities” (as cited in Searcy et al. 2004; Mervis & John 2010; Mervis & Velleman 2011). Measuring a WS intellectual abilities is not entirely reliable due to the WS individuals’ developmental delays, much like those of the DS people.
The Similarities and Differences
Based on the given results from the English Language acquisition studies performed on the DS and WS groups, some similarities can be pointed out. Most prevalent among them is that each group displayed greater abilities in some areas of language than others. This is an attribute related to their second similarity, which is that their lack of capability in the other fields is due to their delayed cognitive and developmental abilities and processes. Those delays were more pronounced in children than they were in adults, but that is beside the point. Regarding the results of the findings, it is suffice to say that each group of “special” people possess greater strength in some linguistic fields than others.
Of course, with the similarities from these results come the differences as well. Based on the findings, the DS individuals were superior to the WS individuals in terms of written and oral communication, whereas the WS people were more capable than the DS in the areas of verbal communication. Proof of this is the aforementioned idea that those with DS have difficulty expressing their thoughts and ideas verbally, with the WS individuals lacking the ability to do so through writing. It is worth remembering that the capacity for being able to acquire their abilities is uncertain due to the variable quality and severity of the condition, but the areas that each group is more capable in than the other is a subject that cannot be ignored.
Implications and Conclusion
The developmental and cognitive delays that these two groups face, especially in terms of English Language acquisition, are just two of the many things that require the attention of experts of all sorts, in the medical and the linguistic fields. Such attention and treatment is best provided during an individual’s infancy and earlier childhood, where the diagnosis and treatment is easier to provide than at adulthood. Teachers of the English Language should provide guidance to a Down or Williams Syndrome individual’s linguistic development, and neurologists and other cognitive specialists are to be more responsible and attentive to the mental behaviour of these individuals for further insight and information in ensuring a healthy and sustainable upbringing for them. As prevalent as it probably is nowadays, it is a personal belief that more attention and awareness needs to be provided to these areas of study.
To conclude, the English Language acquisition and development among the Down and William Syndromes is not on par with the normal human being, but that does not necessarily mean that they are incapable of it in some way or another. With this in mind, the hypothesis that Down Syndrome individuals are more capable in the areas of written and oral abilities and the Williams Syndrome people are better in verbal communication has been successfully proven. It is with hope and sincerity that such a topic would have more future development and attention, even if the approach is “atypical”.
References:
• Abbasian, G. & Ebrahimi F. (2020). Assessing Down Syndrome EFL Learner’s Language Ability: Incorporating Learners-Teachers’ Perspectives. English Language Teaching, 13(3), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n3p45
• Alfieri, P. et al. (2017). A Comparison Between Linguistic Skills and Socio-communicative Abilities in Williams Syndrome. JIDR, 61(9), 866–876. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12401
• Mayo Clinic. (2024). Down Syndrome. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/down-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355977
• Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Williams Syndrome. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15174-williams-syndrome