Angelman Syndrome affects males, females and all racial/ethnic groups equally.  It is estimated that 1 in 25,000 children are born with AS in the United States and Canda.

Characteristics

All individuals born with AS experience severe developmental delay or mental retardation, difficulties with verbal communication, movement or balance disorders, and unique behavior that sometimes includes unusual expression of emotion, hand-flapping movements and a short-attention span. 

Most children born with AS (80%) experience microcephaly (small head size) that is noticeable by age 2 and seizures.

Diagnosis

Angelman Syndrome has confounded and confused the medical community and parents of Angelman individuals for many years: it¹s now believed thousands of Angelman Syndrome cases have gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as cerebral
palsy, autism or other childhood disorders.  Some other terms or diagnoses for Angelman Syndrome include:

• AS
• Happy Puppet Syndrome (obsolete)

Treatment

There is no cure for AS but there are treatments for some symptoms of AS.  From the earliest stages (as with typically developing children), structured play is encouraged. Educational and behavioral approaches can be helpful in the areas of communication, schooling, sleep disturbances, and general behavior. Seizures can be controlled by the use of anticonvulsant medication.  

In addition, physical and occupational therapies, speech and language interventions, behavior modification can also be useful.A major focus is on alternative/adaptive communication techniques, as individuals with Angelman Syndrome seem to have much greater receptive language ability than expressive ability.

Other Information Resources

Washington Angelman Syndrome Foundation (WASF)
http://www.wasf.com

Angelman Syndrome Foundation (ASF)
http://www.angelman.org

Angelman Syndrome Information for Families and Professionals
http://asclepius.com/angel/