The Israeli Rett Syndrome Center: Evaluation according to the transdisciplinary play-based assessment

Rett syndrome (RS) is a neurodevelopmental syndrome of genetic origin, which mainly affects women. Individuals diagnosed with RS exhibit a variety of functional difficulties that impair their quality of life. The variety of impairments and the differences between each child makes it necessary to administer skilled treatment, individually tailored to each client. Since the foundation of proper treatment is based on a structured, well-administered, insightful assessment, the individual with RS with her complex array of difficulties should benefit from such a procedure. This notion has led to the establishment of the Israel Rett Syndrome Center (IRSC). The center includes a medical branch located at the Safra Shildren's Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, and an education/rehabilitation team who performs assessments in special education facilities and residential settings throughout Israel. The assessment team works by means of arena assessment, according to the concept of play-based assessment. This article presents the working model used by the education/rehabilitation team at the IRSC. The principles and working characteristics of the IRSC team are suggested here as a potential model for establishing additional teams, presenting similar evaluation services for other individuals with RS as well as for analogous populations.