The communicative abilities of individuals with Smith-Magenis syndrome:a systematic review (1997-2014)
Citation
(2015) The communicative abilities of individuals with Smith-Magenis syndrome:a systematic review (1997-2014), no. 90.
Abstract
This systematic review investigates the communicative abilities within persons with
Smith-Magenis syndrome. It aims to determine the following with regards to Smith-
Magenis syndrome; whether delay or disorder are accurate terms to describe
communicative abilities, whether there is homogeneity or heterogeneity of
communicative abilities between cases, whether there are longitudinal differences in
communicative abilities within cases, whether additional qualified professionals
were involved in assessment within the literature, and whether sufficient
information exists in order to create a Smith-Magenis communication profile.
A systematic review research model was employed in order to search, collect and
evaluate the literature effectively and accurately. The search was limited to the
years 1997-2014, including all literature published between these dates. Following
primary and secondary screening, 31 articles were included in the final cohort.
The results revealed that "delay" appears to be the most widely used term to
describe speech, language and cognition of individuals with Smith-Magenis
syndrome, however in the case of speech, "delay" may not be the most accurate
term due to findings of abnormal oromotor abilities. The cohort revealed that there
is homogeneity of communicative abilities across the Smith-Magenis syndrome
population, with only one Brazilian study reporting contrasting results. There were
no studies investigating longitudinal differences within this client group, which has
revealed the possibility for future research. From the literature it appears that
additional professionals are not readily employed to administer assessments, despite
the advantage of reduced experimenter bias. The literature did provide enough data
to create a communication profile for those who work with individuals with Smith-
Magenis syndrome.