Eleanor Semel & Sue R. Rosner. Understanding Williams Syndrome: Behavioral patterns and interventions. Mahwah, NJ & London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003. Pp. xxi, 456. Hb $99.95, pb $45.00.

“I never knew talent was a birth defect,” Jonas Salk has been quoted as saying about Williams Syndrome (cf. Bellugi & St. George 2001:xii), referring to the discrepancy between the extraordinary language abilities of persons with WS and their overall intellectual functioning, which usually falls within the bounds of mental retardation. The first of its kind, Semel & Rosner's very interesting sourcebook addresses the question: “How is it possible to conceptualize a group of children who test as though retarded, speak as though gifted, behave sometimes as though emotionally disturbed, and function like the learning disabled?” (p. 1). The insights into the origins and manifestations of this intriguing disorder discussed in this book have numerous theoretical and practical implications for understanding the molecular genetic and neurophysiological underpinnings of cognition, language, and sociability.