Repeated Motor Training on Attention Reaching Skills and Stereotypies in Rett Syndrome

Background: Few studies investigated the effect of a structured and specific training for upper limb motor skills allowing complex movements such as reaching and grasping. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of motor training on attention, reaching skills, and stereotypies in patients with Rett syndrome (RTT). Methods: Twenty-eight participants with RTT underwent cognitive and motor assessment to evaluate attention, reaching skills and stereotypies with an ABABABA design: before training (pre-test phase), after a month of training (post-test phase 1), after a month of the second training phase (post-test phase 2) and at 1 month after the third training phase (post-test phase 3). In all three B phases, participants received 30 minutes of motor training for 5 days a week over a 1-month period. Results: Patients with RTT show long-term improvements in seconds of attention and reaching skills and decreases in the intensity of stereotypies. Conclusions: This study suggests that motor abilities of participants with RTT can be improved with repeated, individual, well-structured training.