APA Dictionary of Psychology

a growth disorder marked by enlarged tongue, large abdominal hernia, and enlarged viscera. Newborns may be born with an omphalocele (an opening in the wall of the abdomen) and develop hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Although children with this disorder are at increased risk for developing cancer, the majority reach adulthood with normal height and intelligence. The cause is usually unknown, but up to 15% of cases occur in families with more than one affected member. In those cases, it appears to be an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance and involves genes located on the short arm of chromosome 11 (locus 11p15). [described in the 1960s by John Bruce Beckwith (1933–  ), U.S. physician, and Hans Rudolf Wiedemann (1915–2006), German pediatrician]