How is the disease diagnosed

Doctors can diagnose Rett Syndrome by observing signs and symptoms during the child's early growth. They can also conduct tests of the childs physical and neurological status. Some variants of the disorder are found during testing and are not classified as normal Retts Syndrome. Out of all cases diagnosed about 15% are classified as variants. Some symptoms are not included in the diagnoses of Retts Syndrome, but may appear in children who have it. Some children may have symptoms that relate to Retts Syndrome, but it may be something else entirely. Doctors are able to successfully diagnose people who have the condition by observing them and looking for many different abnormalities such as shaking or spastic hand movements, smaller than usual head size, impaired expressive language, and many more factors.