International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open Access

Abstract

Fixation Duration Changes in Rett Syndrome after Habilitation Intervention

Daisuke Hirano, Kaori Hayashi, Yuka Onose, Mizuho Ishii, Megumi Miyauchi, Hidenobu Sekimori, Takamichi Taniguchi, Hideo Shimoizumi and Takahiro Niida

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of longitudinal habilitation intervention by care staff upon fixation duration in an individual with Rett syndrome using an eye-tracking system. The participant was a 22- year-old woman suffering from Rett syndrome. She could watch television but could not communicate verbally or execute purposeful upper extremity movements. We evaluated whether she could change the pattern of an eye gaze target by learning with the intervention of care staff. Fixation duration to the experimental targets was significantly changed after intervention for 3 weeks compared with before intervention. We consider that this improvement occurred because the patient learned the experimental tasks. Our findings suggest that individuals with Rett syndrome can acquire various abilities using eye gaze. Eye-tracking was shown to be a feasible method for visualizing the learning abilities of individuals with Rett syndrome and judging the outcome of habilitation intervention.