The cheery wee boy with the beautiful eyes who can’t tell when people are being nasty to him
WITH his beaming smile and cheerful nature, Alex Vasey might just be one of the friendliest kids in Scotland.
The four-year-old has a rare medical condition which means he is extra sociable – and has no fear of strangers.
He suffers from Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder, which causes a range of health and developmental problems – including being over-friendly.
So, when he started nursery this summer, his parents Don and Bethan had no worries about him making friends.
And while some children may shy away from people they do not know, Alex will stop and speak to everyone he meets.
But the condition also means Alex has no understanding of when people are being mean.
Don, from Aberdeen, said: “Alex will speak to anyone. But he won’t comprehend things like ‘stranger danger’.
“Like other Williams children, he is generally so happy and loving and caring. He sees the good in everyone. He’s also very empathetic. If another kid starts crying, he wants to know that they’re OK.
“He’s very friendly and outgoing, and that’s the thing – he could easily be taken advantage of. He lacks social awareness.”
His verbal skills are also greater than his peers – a characteristic of the syndrome – which can often mask the issue.
But Don, 40, explained Alex has no concept of when words are being said to upset someone, leaving him vulnerable.
He said: “He picks up a lot of words from the environment he is in. He repeats them quite easily but doesn’t necessarily understand the concept of them.”
Don and Bethan, 38, had never heard of the condition until Alex, who is also sensitive
He’s generally so loving, happy and caring DON VASEY ALEX’S DAD
to loud noises, was diagnosed at a year old. But unbeknown to them, the most visible sign of the disease occurred months earlier. Don said: “His eyes have a starburst pattern around his iris. Everyone kept saying, ‘He has beautiful eyes’ but that’s a feature of Williams syndrome. “We never noticed it when he was first born.” For 10 months, Alex, who has a sister Agatha, two, had appeared in perfect health. But then he became ill with a cold and Bethan took him to the GP, who listened to his chest and found he had a heart murmur.
Tests showed Alex had a major heart defect called supravalvular aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
It is a common anomaly in patients with Williams syndrome and genetic tests confirmed his condition
Don, who is a UK fundraising officer and Scottish co-ordinator for the Williams Syndrome Foundation, said: “When they told us, it was life-changing and you think the world is coming to an end. What you imagined for your child is going to be suddenly changed. It’s a bit of grief for that, but you come to terms with it.”
But he added: “To us, he’s just a normal wee man. We wouldn’t want to change him. He’s a funny, friendly, cheery little boy and he keeps us happy.”
The syndrome affects one in every 18,000 people, including about 20 families in Scotland.
To mark the foundation’s 40th anniversary next year, Don is organising a special conference in Stirling for all families affected north of the Border.