Alternative and Augmentative Communication Technologies for Supporting Adults With Mild Intellectual Disabilities During Clinical Consultations: Scoping Review.
Ryan Colin Gibson, Matt-Mouley Bouamrane, Mark D Dunlop
PMID 34106087WHAT IT FOUND
Communication aids like patient passports and easy-read cards help adults with mild intellectual disabilities share health information.
Evidence on whether they actually improve clinical outcomes is weak and mixed, with some tools showing no benefit over standard care.
Key findings
01Patient passports and health diaries aim to increase practitioners' knowledge of medical and communication needs, but most focus on one-way information transfer rather than empowering patients.
02Randomised trials showed mixed results: notes-based prompts increased targeted health checks, but health diaries alone did not significantly change outcomes.
03Easy-read resources and visual aids like Talking Mats support two-way communication and help patients participate in care decisions, though implementation is often inconsistent.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a scoping review, not a systematic review, so it does not assess the quality of individual studies in depth. The search was limited to three databases and English-language articles, which may have missed relevant literature. Most included studies were from OECD countries (UK, Australia), limiting generalisability to other health systems. The evidence base is small (15 studies), and only three used randomised controlled designs. Many interventions were evaluated using qualitative methods or self-reports, with limited objective clinical outcome data.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these communication aids are proven to improve health outcomes. The evidence is mixed, with some randomised trials showing no significant benefit over standard care, and many studies relying on subjective reports rather than objective clinical data.