Early socio-communicative forms and functions in typical Rett syndrome.

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Child Psychology
• Linguistics

Background:

• Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder causing regression in motor and speech.
• Limited research exists on socio-communicative development in RTT before regression onset.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze early socio-communicative behaviors in infants later diagnosed with typical Rett syndrome.
• To identify early communicative forms and functions before the onset of regression.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of parent-recorded audio-video data from six 9- to 12-month-old girls.
• Application of the Inventory of Potential Communicative Acts (IPCA) to assess communication.

Main Results:

• All infants used non-verbal forms (e.g., gaze, vocalizations) for attention and answering.
• Communicative functions like making choices or requesting information were absent.
• Non-verbal communication predominated over non-linguistic and (pre)linguistic verbal forms.

Conclusions:

• Atypical socio-communicative development is evident in infants before regression in Rett syndrome.
• Early communication relies more on non-verbal strategies in these infants.
• Findings highlight the need for early intervention targeting socio-communicative skills.