What are the diagnostic criteria for Angelman Syndrome?
- Developmental delay, functionally severe (100%)
- Speech impairment, none or minimal use of words; receptive and non-verbal communication skills higher than verbal ones (100%)
- Movement or balance disorder, usually ataxia of gait and/or tremulous movement of limbs (100%)
- Behavioral uniqueness: any combination of frequent laughter/smiling; apparent happy demeanor; easily excitable personality, often with hand flapping movements; hypermotoric behavior; short attention span (100%)
- Delayed, disproportionate growth in head circumference, usually resulting in microcephaly (absolute or relative) by age 2 (80%)
- Seizures, onset usually <3 years of age (80%)
- Abnormal EEG, characteristic pattern with large amplitude slow-spike waves (usually 2-3/s), facilitated by eye closure (80%)
- Flat occiput (20-80%)
- Occipital groove (20-80%)
- Protruding tongue (20-80%)
- Tongue thrusting; suck/swallowing disorders (20-80%)
- Feeding problems during infancy (20-80%)
- Prognathia (20-80%)
- Wide mouth, wide-spaced teeth (20-80%)
- Frequent drooling (20-80%)
- Excessive chewing/mouthing behaviors (20-80%)
- Strabismus (20-80%)
- Hypopigmented skin, light hair and eye color (compared to family), seen only in deletion cases (20-80%)
- Hyperactive lower limb deep tendon reflexes (20-80%)
- Uplifted, flexed arm position especially during ambulation (20-80%)
- Increased sensitivity to heat (20-80%)
- Sleep disturbance (20-80%)
- Attraction to/fascination with water (20-80%)
From: "Angelman syndrome 2005: updated consensus for diagnostic criteria." Williams CA et al, Am J Med Genet A. 2006 Mar 1;140(5):413-8. PMID: 16470747