Browsing by Author "Escobar, Raul G."

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    A brief tablet-based intervention benefits linguistic and communicative abilities in toddlers and preschoolers
    (2024) Pena, Marcela; Vasquez-Venegas, Constanza; Cortes, Patricia; Pittaluga, Enrica; Herrera, Mitzy; Pino, Esteban J.; Escobar, Raul G.; Dehaene-Lambertz, Ghislaine; Guevara, Pamela
    Young children's linguistic and communicative abilities are foundational for their academic achievement and overall well-being. We present the positive outcomes of a brief tablet-based intervention aimed at teaching toddlers and preschoolers new word-object and letter-sound associations. We conducted two experiments, one involving toddlers ( similar to 24 months old, n = 101) and the other with preschoolers ( similar to 42 months old, n = 152). Using a pre-post equivalent group design, we measured the children's improvements in language and communication skills resulting from the intervention. Our results showed that the intervention benefited toddlers' verbal communication and preschoolers' speech comprehension. Additionally, it encouraged vocalizations in preschoolers and enhanced long-term memory for the associations taught in the study for all participants. In summary, our study demonstrates that the use of a ludic tablet-based intervention for teaching new vocabulary and pre-reading skills can improve young children's linguistic and communicative abilities, which are essential for future development.
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    Clinical characteristics of children affected by autism spectrum disorder with and without generalized hypotonia
    (2021) Lopez-Espejo, Mauricio A.; Nunez, Alicia C.; Moscoso, Odalie C.; Escobar, Raul G.
    In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to evaluate the association between generalized hypotonia (GH) and demographic features and clinical characteristics in toddlers (2 to 5 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Among 93 children, 32 (34.4%) had GH. These patients had a later onset of independent walking (17 vs. 15 months, p < 0.01), a higher proportion of motor stereotypies (65.6 vs. 27.9%, p < 0.01), a lower mean total score in the parental-reported Generic Core Scale of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (71 vs. 76 points, p 0.03), and a higher mean total score in the Calibrated Severity Score of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule version 2 at diagnosis (6 vs. 5 points, p 0.02) compared to the group without GH.