At-School Telerehabilitation for Rett Syndrome: Support Teachers Driving Cognitive and Communication Progress in a Randomized Trial.

Background/

Objectives

This exploratory study examined the potential effectiveness of cognitive enhancement interventions targeting basic cognitive prerequisites and communicative abilities in girls with Rett syndrome. Special attention was given to evaluating telerehabilitation as a feasible alternative to traditional in-person therapy, particularly for individuals with severe impairments and limited access to care.

Methods

Twenty-four girls diagnosed with Rett syndrome (mean age = 13.7 years, SD = 7.1), all meeting the basic cognitive prerequisites defined by the GAIRS scale, were randomly assigned to two groups: a telerehabilitation group (n = 12) and an in-person rehabilitation group (n = 12). Interventions were delivered in school settings and focused on two core areas: basic cognitive skills (e.g., object recognition, spatial and temporal concepts, form and color discrimination, and cause-effect reasoning) and communication skills (e.g., comprehension and expression through gestures, images, or verbal output).

Results

Both groups showed significant improvements in the cognitive and communicative domains, with generally comparable outcomes. Notably, the telerehabilitation group demonstrated relatively greater gains in verbal expression and cause-effect understanding. Correlational analyses indicated positive associations between the cognitive and communicative improvements, particularly between spatial understanding and expressive abilities. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the sample size and study design limitations.

Conclusions

These preliminary findings suggest that cognitive enhancement programs may support developmental gains in girls with Rett syndrome and that telerehabilitation could represent a viable alternative for those unable to access in-person care. Given the limited sample size and absence of qualitative measures, further research is necessary to validate its effectiveness and understand its role within comprehensive care models.