In article <2ov321$leq at mule.fhcrc.org>, Tim Buss <tbuss at fred.fhcrc.org>
wrote:
>> Rhett's (Sp?) Syndrome
>> Might you mean Tourettes (or Gilles de la Tourette) syndrome?
>> I don't know much about it apart from it being a neurological disorder
> that manifests itself in childhood with numerous 'habits' or tics, both
> vocal and motor.
>> There is no cure as far as I know, but its symptoms can be controlled to
> a certain extent with neuroleptic drugs.
>> Hope this is of some help,
>> Tim.
I think what you may be talking about is Rett's Syndrome, a degenerative
neurological disorder that only occurs in females with onset between
eighteen and twenty four months. In the first stage, the syndrome has
similar symtoms to Autism or Infantile Psychosis and may be misdiagnosed as
one of those. In later stages, there is a loss of physical skills and
mental functioning, although this can be very uneven-one girl I've worked
with with Rett's is mostly non-ambulatory, but can still knee-walk with
with assistance, eat whole food, and has shown that she can understand and
answer simple questions, as well as recognize colors and objects.
For more information I would encourage you to contact the International
Rett's Syndrome Association-they can be found in a directory of such
organizations at most libraries.
I didn't see the original post, so I don't know if this was the sort of
information you were looking for but I hope it helps.
Jessica