The Increase of Attention in Rett Syndrome: A Pre-Test/Post-Test Research Design

Rett Syndrome (RS) is a neuro-developmental disorder, predominantly affecting females, resulting in severe mental retardation and neuro-behavioral disability. Some RS theoreticians hypothesize that behaviors that are neurologically driven are not open to modification. Despite these claims, the aim of this study is to show that girls with RS can increase high attention abilities through well structured procedures. Twelve girls with RS are involved in training based on the improvement of the attention process and reduction of help needed. The procedure was carried out in five phases with a pre-test/post-test design for clinical research. Results point out that girls with RS show an improvement in selective attention and a decrease in the amount of help needed during the training. This intervention demonstrated that individuals with RS could be promoted and motivated to learn when they were appropriately and therapeutically stimulated.