On May 11, 2019, a specialist conference on Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) took place for the second time on the campus in Görlitz.
The event was organized by the HSCG research group "WBS in Resonance" and the Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony regional group of the German Williams-Beuren Syndrome Association. The theme of the two-day family meeting was: "My friend must be a heater!" - Friendship, loneliness and social vulnerability.
WBS is a rare, genetic developmental impairment that is usually accompanied by a mental disability and various physical and psychological difficulties in life. Children and adolescents with WBS are considered to be hypersocial, sociable and guileless, but they often have difficulty making and maintaining friends. In addition, their parents and siblings face many challenges in coping with everyday life. This makes it all the more important for families to network with each other, exchange ideas and gain access to the latest research findings.
A total of 31 families from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Berlin, Brandenburg and the Czech Republic, 15 speakers and 20 student assistants were involved in the weekend. There were two main lectures, fourteen workshops, games and leisure activities and a storytelling café. In three workshops, curative education/inclusion studies students presented the latest results of their Bachelor's theses. The scientific highlight of the conference was undoubtedly the presentation by US WBS researcher Marisa H. Fisher (Michigan State University), who had traveled to Görlitz especially for the meeting.
On Friday and Saturday evening, the relaxed atmosphere of the student club Maus provided an ideal setting for exchanging experiences and insights. From the point of view of the parents and the organization team, the meeting was a great success.
The weekend was made possible thanks to the generous financial support of AOK plus and the commitment of the HSZG.
Claudia Hölzel, Sonja Jähnig, Jakob Merges, Sonja Prosetzky
