DRAWING STRATEGIES IN WILLIAMS SYNDROME 1 Running head: DRAWING STRATEGIES IN WILLIAMS SYNDROME Drawing the line: Drawing and construction strategies for simple and complex shapes in Williams syndrome and typical development

In the typical population, a series of drawing strategies have been outlined, that progressively emerge during childhood. Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS), a rare genetic disorder, produce drawings that lack cohesion, yet drawing strategies in this group have hitherto not been investigated. In this study WS and TD groups drew and constructed (from pre-drawn lines and shapes) a series of intersecting and embedded figures. Participants with WS made use of the same strategies as the TD group for simple intersecting figures, though were less likely to use a typical strategy for more complex figures that contained many spatial relations. When replicating embedded shapes, the WS group used typical drawing strategies less frequently than the TD group, despite attempting to initiate a strategy that is observed in TD children. We conclude that individuals with WS show a particular difficulty with replicating figures that include multiple spatial relations. The impact of figure complexity and task demands on performance are discussed. DRAWING STRATEGIES IN WILLIAMS SYNDROME 3