Lectures and seminars Clinical seminar: Anxiety in Williams Syndrome: The importance of awareness and support
We are happy to welcome you to two seminars with Professor Deborah Riby from Durham University. One will be given at the Karolinska University Hospital on June 2nd (4 PM) with a more clinical focus, and one will be given at KIND on June 3rd (1 PM) with more focus on research. You are welcome to attend one or both seminars, in person or online.
Individuals with Williams syndrome are at a heightened risk of experiencing anxiety, representing a significant mental health challenge. Prof Riby will talk about a series of studies and accumulating evidence of heightened anxiety levels associated with Williams syndrome, the experience and impact of anxiety, and how they have tried to raise awareness of this mental health challenge in their work at the Centre for Neurodiversity & Development in the UK. She will draw on studies that have shown longitudinal elements of heightened anxiety, associations between anxiety and other elements of the Williams Syndrome phenotype, cross-condition links to other neurodevelopmental conditions, and potential mechanisms underlying heightened anxiety. Finally, she will present new data from her research group’s recent international research project that studied anxiety and broader family well-being in Williams Syndrome, involving over 250 families from 24 countries. She will highlight the importance of involving the whole family to understand familial wellbeing that can inform necessary support, and emerging findings of the importance of raising awareness and acceptance of disability and Williams syndrome in supporting familial well-being.
Please note that parts of this seminar will be held in Swedish
16.00-16.15 Introduction Ann Nordgren (professor, clinical geneticist)
16.15-17.15 Anxiety in Williams Syndrome: The important of awareness and support, Deborah Riby (professor, psychologist)
17.15-17.35 Coffee
17.35-18.00 Ongoing research and results on Williams syndrome from the UNIQUE study, Charlotte Willfors (PhD, psychologist), Johan Lundin Kleberg (Ass professor, psychologist)
Registration
Register for the seminar via this link www.karolinska.se/williamsjuni2022
Last day for registration is May 26th.