‘Too withdrawn’ or ‘too friendly’: considering social vulnerability in two neuro‐developmental disorders

Abstract

In some neuro-developmental disorders, the combined effect of intellectual disability and atypicalities of social cognition may put individuals at increased vulnerability in their social environment. The neurodevelopmental disorders Williams syndrome, characterised by 'hypersociability', and autism spectrum disorders, characterised by 'social withdrawal', are at two extremes of atypical social functioning in humans. In this article, we use Williams syndrome and autism spectrum disorders as exemplars to demonstrate how atypicalities of social cognition may contribute to social vulnerability in these populations. The lives of individuals with both these disorders are marred by an increased risk of social isolation, bullying, unsteady relationships, employment difficulties and abuse. While different behavioural interventions have been tried to improve social functioning in these populations, there has been great variability in their success. Finally, we discuss different issues regarding social independence of these individuals; including employment, safety and decision making.

A Systematic Literature Review of Emotion Regulation Measurement in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Individuals with ASD may engage more frequently in the latter due to difficulties in understanding social, unstructured, or novel situations [Lawson, Baron-Cohen, & Wheelwright, 2004], avoidance of novel or uncomfortable situations as a result of behavioral rigidities [e.g. insistence of routine; Gotham et al, 2013], withdrawal from social situations because of sociocommunicative impairments [Dawson & Lewy, 1989;Jawaid et al, 2012], or avoidance of particular situations or environments due to sensory sensitivities [Hilton et al, 2010;Laurent & Rubin, 2004]. These factors may cause difficulties in a second domain of ER, situation modification, where one is able to alter a situation in order to regulate potential emotional responses.…”

Heterogeneity of social approach behaviour in Williams syndrome: The role of response inhibition

“…Parents of children with WS often report concerns regarding the subsequent increased vulnerability and risk of exploitation that their children are exposed to as a result of their overfriendly behaviour and drive to approach strangers . This is especially relevant when considered alongside the developmental delay experienced by many individuals with the disorder (for a discussion of issues of social vulnerability see Jawaid, Riby, Owens, White, Tarar & Schulz, 2012). Developing an understanding of social approach behaviour (SAB) has been increasingly prioritised over recent years and two hypotheses have been proposed: the amygdala hypothesis and the frontal lobe hypothesis (Porter, Coltheart & Langdon., 2007).…”

Personal Space Regulation in Williams Syndrome: The Effect of Familiarity

“…These issues become especially concerning in light of the constellation of issues/abilities we associate with the disorder -it is when you look at them all together that the vulnerabilities as so enhanced. When considering the wider social profile associated with WS, these findings feed into what is already known about social vulnerability in these individuals (Jawaid et al, 2012), and raise significant concerns about their safety when interacting with strangers. Future work needs to expand on this with large sample, cross-syndrome studies, in order to gain more insight into the degree of disorder-specific patterns of personal space regulation.…”

“…Alternatively, the amygdala theory has been proposed to help explain the atypical social behaviour seen in WS, and indeed ASD (Jawaid et al, 2012). The amygdala is involved in processing and recognising emotions from faces, generating and controlling anxiety, and mediating eye gaze (Fried, MacDonald & Wilson, 1997).…”

“…Those individuals who experience higher anxiety showed more severe social dysfunction, suggesting that anxiety levels are linked to social behaviour in WS. As individuals with WS show indiscriminate approach behaviour (Little et al, 2013), and a lack of stranger danger awareness (Riby et al, 2013), their personal space regulation when interacting with others is an important facet when looking at their social vulnerability profile (Jawaid et al, 2012;Lough et al, 2015b). Lough et al (2015a) offered the first insights in to personal space regulation in WS and ASD, using the same methods employed by Kennedy and Adolphs (2014).…”