Alternative communication systems (AACs) are vital educational strategies for facilitating communication in nonverbal autistic students. This systematic review analyzes the effectiveness of these systems in developing communication skills among nonverbal autistic students at the initial level. Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, we examined 254 scientific articles from Scopus and Web of Science databases, focusing on qualitative and mixed methodologies. Our novel bibliometric analysis revealed three key findings: (1) a significant concentration of research in 2022 with five major publications, predominantly from the United States, highlighting a geographical bias in current research; (2) the emergence of distinct methodological clusters, with traditional low-tech methods showing comparable effectiveness to high-tech solutions in resource-limited settings; and (3) the identification of critical gaps in longitudinal studies and research from developing countries. The VOSviewer analysis uncovered four main research clusters, emphasizing the interconnection between clinical and educational approaches. These findings provide crucial insights for implementing alternative communication systems in diverse educational contexts, particularly in resource-limited environments, and suggest the need for more geographically diverse research to ensure global applicability.
Ortiz et al. (Fri,) studied this question.