National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Prader-Willi syndrome

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My foster child will be tested for Prader-Willi syndrome, but has a very high IQ. Is it possible for people with Prader-Willi to have high IQs?  
Most people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) have mild to moderate intellectual impairment and learning disabilities.[1] [2] One study found that people with PWS have a range of IQs with an overall average IQ of 60, which is 40 points lower than in the general population.[3] Some people with PWS have an IQ that is within the average range; there have been reports of affected people with IQs of 103 and 105.[4] However, even with an IQ in the average range, a person with PWS may have a lack of understanding for abstract concepts, and may still experience difficulty relating to peers.[4][5]  We were not able to find any published case reports or studies, however, reporting a person with PWS in the above average range. 
Last updated: 7/7/2016

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  1. Prader-Willi syndrome. Genetics Home Reference. June 2014; https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/prader-willi-syndrome#.
  2. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child & Human Development. Prader-Willi syndrome. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child & Human Development. January 14 2014; https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/prader-willi/Pages/default.aspx.
  3. Whittington J, Holland A, Webb T, Butler J, Clark D, and Boer H. Academic underachievement by people with Prader-Willi syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. February 2004; 48(Pt2):188-200. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14723660.
  4. Whittington J, Holland A, and Webb T. Relationship between the IQ of people with Prader-Willi syndrome and that of their siblings: evidence for imprinted gene effects. J Intellect Disabil Res. May 2009; 53(5):411-18. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19207281.
  5. Whittington J and Holland A. Neurobehavioral phenotype in Prader-Willi syndrome. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. November 2010; 154c(4):438-47. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20981773.