Preference for water-related items in Angelman syndrome, Down syndrome and non-specific intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND Few case controlled studies have been published on the behavioural phenotype of Angelman syndrome (AS). Little is yet known about preferences in individuals with AS. METHOD Preferences for water-related items and non-water-related items were assessed in 27 individuals with AS and two matched groups of participants, one with Down syndrome (DS) and the other with non-specific intellectual disabilities (NS), using an adapted Dutch version of the Choice Assessment Scale (Matson et al., 1999). RESULTS Individuals with AS showed a higher preference for water-related items compared to individuals in both comparison groups, substantiating previous reports which have suggested that individuals with AS are fascinated with water. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge about preferences in individuals with AS, especially with regard to water-related objects and activities, is important in person-centred planning of daytime activities and training programs for this group.