2. Low Muscle Tone, Jerky Movements
A child with Rett’s syndrome will often experience reduced hand control and jerky, strange movements. This is actually one of the earliest signs of the condition. Over time, the muscles can become weak and atrophied as a result, or they might become very rigid or spastic.
Once again, it’s important to view these symptoms in context. Young children take a long time to develop the same hand-eye coordination that you or I would be capable of. They very often jab wildly at things or appear to sway on the spot. In fact, they won’t be able to reach for things at all for the first couple of months in most cases.
As with all the symptoms on this list, it is important to view these jerky movements and symptoms within the broader context and to look for clusters of symptoms.