Factors associated with spoken language comprehension in children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review.
Emma Vaillant, Johanna J M Geytenbeek, Elise P Jansma and 3 others
PMID 32852786WHAT IT FOUND
In children with cerebral palsy, poorer spoken language comprehension was seen with lower intellectual functioning, more severe white matter damage, and more limited mobility.
Caregiver speech and AAC systems were barely studied.
Key findings
01Poorer spoken language comprehension was linked to lower intellectual functioning and more severe periventricular leukomalacia.
02Functional mobility was reported as associated with spoken language comprehension in twelve studies, although three studies did not show this association.
03Caregiver speech, language activities, and AAC systems were not reported in the included studies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review reports associations, not effects of therapy, so it cannot show that changing a factor improves comprehension. Some studies measured children at one time point or looked back at records, which is weaker for understanding causes. The studies used different ways to classify motor type, mobility, hand function and speech, so results are hard to compare. Some studies included only narrow subgroups, such as children with unilateral CP or GMFCS levels IV and V. No included study reported a power analysis. Only English articles were included. Important factors such as caregiver speech, language activities, and AAC use were not studied, so gaps remain.
Declared interests
The review was funded by JKF Kinderfonds and Stichting Rotterdams Kinderrevalidatie Fonds Adriaanstichting. Some included studies did not report funding or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as evidence that changing mobility, speech, or AAC systems will improve comprehension. The review included observational studies of factors, not trials of interventions.