{"id":12852,"date":"2025-10-16T13:54:30","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T13:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/?p=12852"},"modified":"2025-10-16T13:54:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T13:54:31","slug":"retts-syndrome-and-autism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/blog\/retts-syndrome-and-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"Rett\u2019s Syndrome and Autism: Understanding the Overlap and the Differences"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You might\u2019ve heard the term \u201cRett\u2019s autism\u201d and wondered what it really means. Rett\u2019s syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that mostly affects girls. It\u2019s not exactly a <a href=\"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/blog\/types-of-autism\/\">form of autism<\/a>, but the two can look similar\u2014especially early on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kids with Rett\u2019s often show challenges with speech, movement, and social interaction, which is why people sometimes associate it with autism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understanding Rett\u2019s Syndrome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rettsyndrome.org\/about-rett-syndrome\/understanding-rett-syndrome\/\">Rett\u2019s syndrome<\/a> happens because of a change in the <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5798978\/\">MECP2 gene<\/a>, which plays an important role in brain development. Most children develop normally for their first year or so, and then parents start noticing changes\u2014like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Losing words or hand skills they once had<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Repetitive hand movements (like clapping or wringing)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trouble walking or balancing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Slowed head or body growth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be heartbreaking to see your child lose skills, but early support and therapy can make a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Rett Syndrome Families: Then &amp; Now\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kgk9X4yzGFw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Rett\u2019s Syndrome Differs from Autism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/blog\/three-main-causes-of-autism\/\">autism can have many causes<\/a> and shows up in lots of different ways, Rett\u2019s syndrome has a clear genetic cause. The main difference is that children with Rett\u2019s typically <em>lose<\/em> abilities they once had, while <a href=\"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/blog\/common-autism-behaviors\/\">autism traits<\/a> are usually present from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Still, both conditions benefit from consistent therapy and structured support\u2014especially through <strong>Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re in <a href=\"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/locations\/aba-therapy-in-maryland\/\">Maryland<\/a> and looking for help, <a href=\"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/\"><strong>Able Stars ABA<\/strong><\/a> offers personalized, caring support for families. We provide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/aba-services\/in-home-aba-therapy\/\"><strong>In-home ABA<\/strong><\/a> so your child can learn in a familiar, comfortable setting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/aba-services\/aba-in-schools\/\"><strong>School-based ABA<\/strong><\/a> for smoother days at school<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/aba-services\/aba-parent-training\/\"><strong>ABA parent training<\/strong><\/a> to help you feel confident supporting your child<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Every child deserves a chance to grow and shine. Reach out to Able Stars ABA today to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Rett\u2019s syndrome the same as autism?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not quite. Rett\u2019s shares some traits with autism, but it\u2019s caused by a specific gene mutation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can boys have Rett\u2019s syndrome?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s extremely rare, but yes\u2014it can occur in boys, though most cases are in girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can ABA therapy help with Rett\u2019s?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Absolutely. ABA therapy can improve communication, behavior, and independence, helping children with Rett\u2019s reach their fullest potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5798978\/<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>https:\/\/www.rettsyndrome.org\/about-rett-syndrome\/understanding-rett-syndrome\/<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>https:\/\/reverserett.org\/about-rett-syndrome\/<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/6089-rett-syndrome<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41572-024-00568-0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You might\u2019ve heard the term \u201cRett\u2019s autism\u201d and wondered what it really means. Rett\u2019s syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that mostly affects girls. It\u2019s not exactly a form of autism, but the two can look similar\u2014especially early on.&nbsp; Kids with Rett\u2019s often show challenges with speech, movement, and social interaction, which is why people&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[63],"class_list":["post-12852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autism","tag-autism"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablestarsabatest2.bycws.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}