Symptoms And Characteristics Of Rett Syndrome

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The symptoms and characteristics of Rett syndrome can vary from child to child, depending upon the severity of their condition. The characteristics become apparent at a very young age, in fact, noticeable differences in the child’s development show up between the ages of 6 to 18 months. These children are the product of a normal pregnancy and delivery, and have normal development for the first 5 to 6 months of life. It is at this time that her parents will begin to notice a slowing in development. At this stage it is very hard to diagnose because most parents may relate this to not feeling well or just their age in general. The characteristics of Rett syndrome are generally most pronounced between the ages of 12 to 18 months (Mayo Clinic, 2012). These changes can happen very quickly. It could be over a period of a few weeks to a month. According to the Mayo Clinic’s Diseases and Conditions Rett Syndrome, there are a number of symptoms related to this disorder. Most of these will have a direct effect on her education, and the accommodations and modifications that must be made in order to provide her with the best education possible.
The symptoms may include: slowed brain growth resulting in a smaller than normal head size; the loss of normal movement and coordination - including a decrease in hand control and a decrease in the ability to crawl or walk normally; loss of communication and thinking abilities - including the ability to speak and the loss of interest in people or toys; the development of abnormal hand movements or patterns such as hand wringing or squeezing; unusual eye movements like intense staring or blinking; breathing problems – including breath-holding or rapid breathing that results in hyperventila...

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...rtant to educate everyone on the cultural linguistic factors in dealing with this student. Educate the other students, with parent and student permission. This can close gaps for this student simply by being accepted.
In closing, I am including this from Rett Syndrome Research Trust because I couldn’t say it better myself. “Real communication is a two-way street. It isn’t a test, and it isn’t yes/no interrogation. Nonverbal communicators require their listeners to be attentive to gestures, facial expression, body language, even the look in someone’s eyes. No child learns well being defined by her deficits instead of her strengths. Give her the benefit of high expectations. Let her know you believe in her and model this belief, so that others will learn how to relate to her genuine and respectful way” (RSRT, 2015).

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