Prader-Willi syndrome is a genetic condition characterised by an obsession with food, poor muscle tone and balance, mild intellectual impairment, learning difficulties and emotional instability.
Symptoms and characteristics
Together with an insatiable appetite and mild intellectual impairment, a person with Prader-Willi syndrome may have a range of associated health and behavioral symptoms such as:
- small hands and feet, shorter stature in adulthood
- speech difficulties due to poor muscle tone
- obesity and diabetes, that is triggered by insatiable appetite
- sleepiness
- poor gross motor skills
- short term memory difficulties
- irritability and aggression with a proneness to tantrums
- obsessive and compulsive behaviors, for example, picking at the skin.
For more information on some of these symptoms and characteristics, follow these links:
Workplace adjustments and solutions
In the workplace there are various ways to assist people with Prader-Willi syndrome to better manage their symptoms. These include changes to work tasks and the environment, such as:
- limiting access to food or edible items within the work environment other than what has been provided for meal times
- high levels of supervision to monitor food seeking behavior
- organising the work day with set structure and routine
- if possible enable work duties to be done in one area to assist with familiarisation and learning
- use prompts to trigger memory and recall such as alarms, computer alerts, visual prompts, cue cards, task breakdown lists or use of a buddy system
- education for co-workers about the condition, and any information about the person such as how they best communicate and interact
- identify behavior management techniques appropriate to the workplace
- flexible or part time work hours to allow for adequate rest.
There are solutions and adjustments for the following job requirements:
References
Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Australia (no date specified), Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Brief Introduction, Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Australia, Perth, viewed 31 November 2011, http://www.pws.org.a/general.html.
Better Health Channel 2011, Prader-Willi syndrome, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne, viewed 31 November 2011, http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Prader-Willi_syndrome.
Wadsworth, JS, McBrien, D M & Harper, DC 2010, 'Vocational guidance and employment of persons with a diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome', Journal of Rehabilitation, vol. 69, no. 1, viewed 31 November 2011,
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0825/is_1_69/ai_98253972.