Anyone have a child with Angelman Syndrome?

My friend is adopting a six year old with Angelman's Syndrome. I've done respite for her on occassion. The little girl is a sweet heart. Always happy and singing. She has a hard time being understood with her speech dysfluency, but she gets her point across. Good luck to you!

I am the "companion" for a 6 yo girl at my church with Angelman's.... the biggest thing was overcoming her frustration at her inability to communicate effectively. She would take matters into her own hands and not trust adults to understand her. In about a yr and a half, I have seenher go from almost totally autistic traits, to developmentally delayed... she can color now (scribbles) but she enjoys it and recognizes when her picture is "done". She does some signing, but uses a "pex book" with picture cards better. Her big thing is playing in water, swinging and the feel of ANYTHING in her mouth. She is starting to be concious of herself (wipes drool) and that is HUGE! Still in diapers and that's a problem (none her size). She is totally lovey dovey but demands CONSTANT attention. She has no sense of judgement...think decision making capabilities of a 2 yr old...with the size and problem solving skills (can figure out locks etc..) of a 6 yr old. Prepare your 12 yr old for being your "assistant", she will have a rough time adjusting to a sibling (an only child thus far), especially one that will be so demanding of your time. A new threapy technique I am anxious to try with T is called Dynamic Listening. A friend of mine is using it with her daughter, and I have heard of it being used with autistic children to great success. Since Angelman's is similar, I can guess it may help with that too. Especially the non-verbal part. Lemme know if you have anymore questions and if I don't know, I'll ask t's parents!