20/06/2026
Just like the general population, the cognitive and intellectual abilities of people PWS vary a great deal from person to person. Some people with the syndrome might appear very articulate and may even be able to pass exams such as GCSEs.
Often people's success in exams is as a result of very intensive efforts, but research has shown that the knowledge gained is rarely generalised and is easily lost.
People with PWS also have significant impairments that often become more apparent in adult life impacting on their ability to live independently. These include
impairments in social cognition and in their ability to plan and organise their lives.
A learning disability is defined by the Department of Health and Social Care as:
"a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), which started before adulthood."
People with PWS invariably have significant cognitive difficulties of biological origin even if they have succeeded in aspects of their education through their
own hard endeavours.
As health and social care budgets are stretched, people with PWS who are deemed to have 'mild' or borderline learning disabilities or IQs over 70 are being shut out of
services they desperately need.
Sadly we have seen that adults with PWS who present as more 'able' are at more risk of harm through lack of supervision. This can mean they are deemed to have
capacity to manage their money, health and diet, sometimes with devastating consequences.
Local community learning disability teams can be a vital lifeline for people with PWS. LD health checks, the support of LD nurses and multidisciplinary teams can play an essential role in keeping people PWS safe and helping them thrive.
