Williams Syndrome Program

Williams syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects the physical development of multiple body functions — particularly the heart and circulatory system. Cardiologists at Nemours Cardiac Center, Orlando have extensive experience in treating Williams syndrome.

Our Chief of Cardiology, Dr. Gul Dadlani, offers families a clinic day just for kids with Williams syndrome, so they can see all the appropriate specialists and complete any necessary tests in much less time than separate visits would require.

Coordinated Care at Nemours Cardiac Center

Williams syndrome can affect almost every part of the body. To get the best possible treatment, kids with Williams syndrome often need regular evaluations by eight or more pediatric specialists.

To provide the necessary multispecialty care in a kid-friendly, family-friendly way, we have a clinic just for kids with Williams syndrome so they can see all the appropriate specialists and complete any necessary tests.

Williams Syndrome Team Members

In addition to pediatric cardiologists and the Cardiac Center clinical care team, your child’s Williams syndrome care team may also include:

• nutrition support
• respiratory therapists
• social work
• Child Life
• physical therapists
• occupational therapists
• speech therapists

What to Expect With Our Williams Syndrome Program

A visit to the Williams syndrome clinic at Nemours Cardiac Center, Orlando (located at Nemours Children’s Hospital) usually includes consultations with specialists in nine systems of the body:

• ophthalmology (eyes)
• audiology (hearing)
• otolaryngology (ears, nose, throat and voicebox, also called ENT)
• medical genetics
• cardiology (heart)
• gastroenterology (swallowing, digestion and bowel function)
• endocrinology (hormone and mineral balance)
• nephrology (kidneys)
• behavioral and developmental psychology

Additional specialty consultation is available when needed from specialists in:

• neurology (nerve and brain problems)
• physical and occupational therapy (movement, dexterity and self-care problems)
• interventional radiology (nonsurgical blood vessel treatment using catheters)
• speech-language pathology
• surgery
  • pediatric general surgery (abdominal wall and digestive tract)
  • cardiothoracic surgery (chest, lungs and heart)
  • orthopedic surgery (muscle and bone)
  • urology (kidneys, ureters, bladder, genitalia)