Symbolic Representation in Young Children With Down Syndrome

University of Sao Paulo

Status: Completed

Conditions: Down Syndrome

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00668980

06/50842-4

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to characterize the process of constitution of symbolic representation in infants with Down syndrome, as well as to investigate the relationship between gestures and the emergence of oral language. The investigators hypothesis is that children with Down syndrome could present difficulties during the constitution of symbolic representation that may be related to later deficits on expressive language, generally observed in these children.

Full description

According to the Genetic Epistemology, language development is directly related to cognitive construction. Such relationship is clearly observed after the constitution of representation that allows one individual to express his or her thinking through language.

Enrollment: 25 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Study Group:

• genetic diagnosis of Down Syndrome
• be at the 4th stage of sensorimotor period at the initial assessment
• good health conditions
• good results on audiologic evaluation
• pediatric and ear, nose and throat periodic check ups.

Inclusion Criteria for Control Group:

• good health conditions
• be at the 4th stage of sensorimotor period at the initial assessment
• pediatric and ear, nose and throat periodic check ups.

Exclusion Criteria for all groups:

• submission to long term hospitalizations due to heart diseases and major respiratory airway infections, that may interfere in the child's global development
• presence of visual or auditory important deficits
• historic of prematurely and/or low birth weight

Trial design

25 participants in 2 patient groups

Study group

Description:

20 infants with Down syndrome

Control Group

Description:

15 typically developing children