Hyperactivity
Hyperactivity is a very common behavior in AS and it is best described as hypermotoric. Essentially all young AS children have some component of this increased motor activity [1] and males and females appear equally affected. Infants and toddlers may have seemingly ceaseless activity, constantly keeping their hands or toys in their mouth, moving from object to object. In extreme cases, the constant movement can cause accidental bruises and abrasions. Grabbing, pinching and biting in older children have also been noted and may be heightened by the hypermotoric activity. Persistent and consistent behavior modification helps decrease or eliminates these unwanted behaviors.
In infants, the attention span can be short and social interaction is hindered because the AS child cannot seemingly attend to facial and other social cues. In childhood however attention abilities may increase, often associated with apparent curiosity as well. Attentiveness may then become sufficient to begin teaching sign-gesture language and other communication techniques. Observations in young adults suggest that the hypermotoric state decreases with age. Most AS children do not receive drug therapy for hyperactivity although some may benefit from use of such medications. Use of calming or sedating medications like Risperidone (Risperdal) is not generally advised but may be useful in rare cases. There is a tendency toward weight gain (with the use of certain neuroleptics), and these drugs are also associated with more side effects. Thus far, there are no formal clinical trials examining the efficacy of stimulant medications or neuroleptics to treat hyperactivity/impulsivity in AS.
1. Buntinx IM, Hennekam RC, Brouwer OF, et al. Clinical profile of Angelman syndrome at different ages. Am J Med Genet, 1995. 56(2): p. 176-83.