October: Rett Syndrome Awareness Month

I had never heard of Rett Syndrome (also known as RTT) before until coming across students with this diagnosis. I received really great advice from a professor during OT school to look at a person's function/what they can do and not at their diagnosis. I still stand by this advice and put it into practice however being a curious student, I wanted to dig further into what Rett Syndrome was so I can better understand some of my students and their families. 

According to the NIH, Rett syndrome is "a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects girls almost exclusively. Based on Rettsyndrome.org, it is rare in males but does occur at a low prevalence. It begins with normal early development and growth but then turns into a slowing of development, loss of purposeful use of the hands, slowed brain and head growth, problems with walking, seizures, and intellectual disability."