Rett's Disorder Test

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational purposes only. Consult a qualified medical professional for advice and clarification.

Rett's Disorder is relatively rare and usually affects only females. The client beings to exhibit autism-like symptoms around around 6-18 months old.

Her mental and social development regresses - she no longer responds to her parents and avoids social contact. She stops talking; fidgets with her feet and wrings her hands.

The table below provides a simplified version of the DSM-IV definition, used by professionals to diagnose disorders.

To make a rough assessment of whether a person has Rett's Disorder or not, tick the box under "ANS" if your client matches the description.

Mirror Mind Book Posters

Get the inside story of via autism & self improvement


Criteria ANS
From before birth to the first 5 months after birth, the client appears to be normal and well.
The client has normal head size (as measured by circumference) at birth.
Between 5 to 48 months after birth, the client's head stops growing or grows very slowly.

Between 5 to 30 months after birth, the client stops using her hands normally. She begins to move her hands strangely, often twisting or appearing to wash her hands.
5 months or more after birth, the client begins to avoid social contact.

5 months or more after birth, the client seems to lose control of her body. She begins to move very clumsily and may not even start to walk.

The client does not develop speech or develops only primitive and distorted speech.
probably NOT Rett's Disorder

 

DSM-IV definition on Rett's Disorder (299.80)

A. All of the following:

  1. Apparently normal prenatal & perinatal development
  2. Apparently normal psychomotor development through the first 5 months after birth
  3. Normal head circumference at birth

B. Onset of all of the following after the period of normal development:

  1. Deceleration of head growth between ages 5 & 48 months
  2. Loss of previously acquired purposeful hand skills between ages 5 & 30 months with the subsequent development of stereotyped hand movements (e.g., hand-wringing or hand washing)
  3. Loss of social engagement early in the course (although often social interaction develops later)
  4. Appearance of poorly coordinated gait or trunk movements
  5. Severely impaired expressive & receptive language development with severe psychomotor retardation

  add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   add to StumbleUpon Stumble   add to Furl Furl   add to Blinklist Blinklist

Last modified: Sun, 23 March 2008
Note: This may be only a minor modification (e.g. changing a spelling mistake)