Physical functionality of alternative communication resources in people with cerebral palsy: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems are used by people with motor disabilities, such as those with cerebral palsy (CP). The assessment of physical functional skills is crucial for appropriately choosing the computer access tool. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to do a systematic literature review addressing the importance of the analysis of physical functional performance for the construction of specific tools to support communication. METHODS: The review followed PRISMA guidelines. We searched articles from 2009 to 2021 using three databases (PubMed, Lilacs in Portuguese, and SciELO). Three reviewers extracted the data. Registration was made to PROSPERO. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. RESULTS: We found 132 articles in the databases. First, we excluded 31 articles because they did not provide evidence for the use of alternative communication in people with CP and did not use high technology resources. We also excluded 57 duplicated articles. At the end of this first step, 44 articles were left, 38 of them were excluded because they are not clinical trials. We selected 6 articles for the final analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The systematic review had a positive impact on the precise dissemination of knowledge ensuring comparisons of interventions and articles such as assistive technology programs.