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Personal Space Regulation in Williams Syndrome: The Effect of Familiarity

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Abstract

Personal space refers to a protective barrier that we strive to maintain around our body. We examined personal space regulation in young people with Williams syndrome (WS) and their typically developing, chronological age-matched peers using a parent report questionnaire and a stop-distance paradigm. Individuals with WS were reported by their parents to be more likely to violate the personal space of others, and indeed they maintained a shorter interpersonal distance in the stop-distance paradigm. Interestingly, WS individuals failed to regulate their personal space based on the familiarity of the person they were interacting with. Findings are discussed in relation to the wider social profile associated with WS, and the possible impact of atypical personal space regulation on social vulnerability.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the work of Eleanor Kerry and Lydia Barge towards data collection for the TD sample. The authors also acknowledge Daniel Kennedy for his advice and guidance in early stages of study preparation. The work would not have been possible without the support of the Williams syndrome Foundation UK and all families who participated.

Author Contributions

EL conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, performed the measurement, performed the statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript. EF participated in the study design and helped draft the manuscript. DM conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, helped interpret the data and draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Science Laboratories, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Emma Lough & Deborah M. Riby

  2. School of Education, Durham University, Durham, UK

    Emma Flynn

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  1. Emma Lough
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  2. Emma Flynn
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  3. Deborah M. Riby
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Correspondence to Emma Lough.

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Lough, E., Flynn, E. & Riby, D.M. Personal Space Regulation in Williams Syndrome: The Effect of Familiarity. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 3207–3215 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2864-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2864-8

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