The communicative abilities of individuals with Smith-Magenis syndrome:a systematic review (1997-2014)

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.