Rett syndrome
(redirected from Autism-Dementia-Ataxia-Loss of Purposeful Hand Use syndrome)Also found in: Medical.
Rett syndrome
[′ret ‚sin‚drōm] (psychology)
An inherited developmental disorder observed only in females that is characterized by a short period of normal development, followed by loss of developmental skills (particularly purposeful hand movements) and marked psychomotor retardation. A brief autistic-like phase may be observed during the preschool period, but the subsequent course and clinical features are markedly different from autism.