Does Your Daughter Have Rett Syndrome?
Rett Syndrome is a disorder in the grey matter of the brain that impairs children’s head growth, ability to speak and their motor skills. It is almost exclusively seen in girls. There is currently a debate on whether Rett Syndrome is part of the autism spectrum or not, but we would like to
Rett Syndrome is caused due to a mutation in the MECP2 gene and is one of the rare autism disorders that has a known cause. The biggest problem with Rett Syndrome is that it causes degeneration in the brain tissue when the child is between 1 to 4 years. This means that a toddler who seems to be learning at a normal pace suddenly sees a decline in motor function and spoken language.
Here are signs to pick up in order to diagnose Rett Syndrome at the earliest:
- Your daughter has stopped making eye contact with everybody.
- She doesn’t have any interest in toys around her.
- She is not able to walk or crawl with ease and prefers to sit in one place.
- This could happen even after she has learned to walk or crawl.
- Her head is not growing at the pace at which it was earlier.
- Your daughter starts to develop a characteristic and repetitive hand movement like clapping, tapping, wringing or jerking while she is awake.
- She is unable to say words that she had earlier learned.
- She starts having irregular breathing.
- Due to all of the above symptoms, she is irritable and may cry a lot.
- Your daughter starts having seizures
If your daughter has any of these signs, see a doctor and voice your concerns immediately. Early intervention will allow your daughter to live a more comfortable life than what she would have without treatment.
