Effects of a Phonological Reading and Writing Remediation Program in Students with Dyslexia: Intervention for Specific Learning Disabilities.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a phonological remediation reading and writing program in individuals with dyslexia, through behavioral and objective evaluations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty children diagnosed with dyslexia, aged 8-14 years, were included in this study. Group I (GI) was composed of 10 children who took part in the program, and group II (GII) consisted of 10 subjects who did not take the remediation. The pre-testing evaluated phonological awareness, rapid naming, working memory, reading and writing of words and nonwords, thematic writing, and auditory evoked potential - P300. The type of stimulus used was the speech (20% of rare stimulus and 80% of frequent stimulus), intensity of 80 dBNa. The rare stimulus was the syllable /da/, and the frequent stimulus was the syllable /ba/. Next, the Phonological Reading and Writing Remediation Program was applied in 24 cumulative sessions, twice a week, each with a duration of 30 min. In the post-testing (at the end of the program), all the tests of the pre-testing were reapplied. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference (between pre- and post-testing) in phonological awareness, rapid naming, working memory, thematic writing, writing and reading words and nonwords, as well as in the latency of the P3 component of P300 in GI, while GII maintained the same difficulties. CONCLUSION: The phonological remediation program showed to be a therapeutic method of fast beneficial effects in written language of individuals with dyslexia. However, the wide age range and the size of the sample could be considered a limitation of this study - it interferes with the generalization of results.

Apert and Crouzon syndromes-Cognitive development, brain abnormalities, and molecular aspects.

Apert and Crouzon are the most common craniosynostosis syndromes associated with mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene. We conducted a study to examine the molecular biology, brain abnormalities, and cognitive development of individuals with these syndromes. A retrospective longitudinal review of 14 patients with Apert and Crouzon syndromes seen at the outpatient Craniofacial Surgery Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies in Brazil from January 1999 through August 2010 was performed. Patients between 11 and 36 years of age (mean 18.29 ± 5.80), received cognitive evaluations, cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, and molecular DNA analyses. Eight patients with Apert syndrome (AS) had full scale intelligence quotients (FSIQs) that ranged from 47 to 108 (mean 76.9 ± 20.2), and structural brain abnormalities were identified in five of eight patients. Six patients presented with a gain-of-function mutation (p.Ser252Trp) in FGFR2 and FSIQs in those patients ranged from 47 to78 (mean 67.2 ± 10.7). One patient with a gain-of-function mutation (p.Pro253Arg) had a FSIQ of 108 and another patient with an atypical splice mutation (940-2A →G) had a FSIQ of 104. Six patients with Crouzon syndrome had with mutations in exons IIIa and IIIc of FGFR2 and their FSIQs ranged from 82 to 102 (mean 93.5 ± 6.7). These reveal that molecular aspects are another factor that can be considered in studies of global and cognitive development of patients with Apert and Crouzon syndrome (CS). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluating a speech-language pathology technology.

BACKGROUND: The creation of new educational strategies based on technology is the essence of telehealth. This innovative learning is an alternative to promote integration and improve the professional practices in speech-language pathology (SLP). The objective of this study was to evaluate an SLP technology designed for distance learning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey selected fourth-year SLP students (n=60) from three public universities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The experimental group (EG) contained 10 students from each university (n=30), and the remaining students formed the control group (CG). Initially, both groups answered a preprotocol questionnaire, and the EG students received the technology, the recommendations, and the deadline to explore the material. In the second stage all students answered the postprotocol questionnaire in order to evaluate the validity and the learning of the technology contents. RESULTS: The comparison between the CG students showed that their performance worsened in the majority in comparison with the EG students, who showed an improved performance. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, this study concluded that the technology instrument actually responded to the population studied and is recommended to complement traditional teaching.

Babies With Pierre Robin Sequence: Neuropsychomotor Development.

BACKGROUND: The Pierre Robin Sequence presents heterogeneous symptoms, and each newborn can manifest from mild breathing and feeding difficulties to severe complications, as well as a predisposition to present changes in growth and neuropsychomotor development in the first years of life. OBJECTIVE: The aims were to evaluate and associate the neuropsychomotor development of zero- to 12-month-old children with Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) in the personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, language, and gross motor aspects. METHODS: The subjects of the study were 17 infants of both sexes with PRS admitted to the special care unit (SCU) of a reference hospital in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in the age range of 20 days to 263 days. Developmental assessments were performed using the Denver Development Screening Test II. The evaluations were carried out in the SCU, with duration of 30 minutes each. Statistical analysis was descriptive using the Mann-Whitney test, two-proportion equality test, and Spearman correlation. The level of significance was set at 0.05. RESULTS: According to Denver Development Screening Test II, median 78.5 of the babies were at risk for developmental delay identified by the Denver II Test (n = 14, 82.4%). For the developmental areas analyzed by the test there was statistically significant difference in language area. CONCLUSION: The babies aged up to 12 months with PRS in this study presented risks for delay in neuropsychomotor development in language, gross motor, fine motor-adaptive, and personal-social aspects, and this finding should be considered to set goals in family orientation and intervention.

Oral language skills in Brazilian children with obstructive sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with a negative impact on neurocognitive development in children. Receptive/expressive oral language is a complex process, with limited investigations on the repercussion of OSA. This study aimed to analyze receptive and expressive oral language skills in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODOLOGY: This study included 52 children (27 females, 51.92 %) with a mean age of 7 ± 2 years (age range of 4-11 years), which underwent type 3 polysomnography (PSG). The participants were divided into N-OSA (n = 16) and OSA (n = 36) groups based on the apnea-hypopnea index. The speech-language therapist evaluated hearing and oral language for phonology, expressive semantics, syntax, receptive semantics (Peabody Image Vocabulary Test), pragmatics, and understanding of verbal instructions (Token Test). RESULTS: Oral language assessments showed a difference in the pragmatics subsystem (p = 0.047), with positive correlation between OSA severity and oral language functions such as pragmatics and syntax (desaturation index, p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had a negative impact on oral language skills, including the syntax and pragmatics subsystems.

Auditory and language skills in children with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVES: to investigate auditory and language skills in children with repaired cleft lip and palate. METHODS: The sample was composed of 22 children registered at the hospital where the study was conducted, seven to nine years old, 50% being female, with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (right or left), without associated malformations. Auditory skills were assessed using four central auditory processing tests: Random Gap Detection Test, Dichotic Digit Test, Dichotic Non-Verbal Test, Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test. Language performance was evaluated by four standardized instruments: Illinois Psycholinguistic Skills Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Token Test and Phonological Skills Profile. The association between auditory and language skills was evaluated by the Fisher exact test at a significance level of 5% (p<.05). RESULTS: The central auditory processing tests evidenced that only one child presented adequate performance in all skills analysed, five children presented impaired performance in all skills, and 16 exhibited deteriorations in one to three auditory skills, highlighting that temporal resolution was the most impaired skill (81%). Concerning language, three children presented adequate performance in all tests applied, and Visual Association and Auditory Association were the most impaired skills (40%). No association was observed between deteriorations in auditory and language skills. CONCLUSION: There was high occurrence of impairment of auditory skills, which compose the central auditory processing, as well as of language skills, with greatest impairment of receptive language.

Preliminary Study of the Applicability of Software in the Investigation of Sustained Auditory Attention.

Introduction The use of auditory behavioral tests, which specifically assess sustained attention, is necessary, due to its relationship with learning, language production, cognitive development and school performance. Objective To evaluate how children performed using software developed to investigate the ability of sustained auditory attention, and to compare the scores obtained in this format with those of the original, non-computerized test. Methods This cross-sectional study included 52 children of both genders, aged 6 to 11 years, with normal hearing and no history of complaints regarding inattention and/or hyperactivity. The computerized test was administered to all 52 children. The total error score (inattention and impulsivity) and the vigilance decrement were used to define the children's performance when using the software. The scores obtained in the two formats (computer software and original on compact disc) were then compared. Results Statistically significant differences were found in the scores for innattention, impulsivity, and total error score (inattention and impulsivity) when comparing genders, and a negative correlation coefficient was found when comparing ages. Increased scores were found for all variables of the sustained auditory attention ability test (SAAAT) compared with the original format. Conclusion Females performed worse than males in all aspects except for vigilance decrement when using the SAAAT software developed to evaluate the ability of SAAAT vigilance; younger children made more errors when using the SAAAT software; inattention errors were more frequent than impulsivity. Overall, higher values were obtained using the SAAAT software, when compared with the original version.

Richieri-Costa-Pereira syndrome: a unique acrofacial dysostosis type. An overview of the Brazilian cases.

We reported on 16 new Brazilian patients and review findings in 12 previously reported cases (25 apparently unrelated Brazilian families) from Hospital of Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, presenting with Richieri-Costa-Pereira syndrome. All patients display a unique pattern of anomalies consisting of microstomia, micrognathia, abnormal fusion of mandible, cleft palate/Robin sequence, absence of central lower incisors, minor ears anomalies, hypoplastic first ray, abnormal tibiae, hypoplastic halluces, and clubfeet. Learning disability was also a common finding. The sex-ratio showed deviation toward to female (1.8F:1M). Recurrence in sibs was observed in nine instances and consanguinity in 11, supporting the hypothesis of autosomal recessive inheritance. Nineteen of the 25 families lived in São Paulo State, seven of them (10 affected individuals) from an isolated region named "Vale do Ribeira." The geographic barrier of this region associated with the high incidence of the consanguineous matting suggested that this condition is caused by a rare mutation with a founder effect. With the exception of one patient in France, all known cases are of Brazilian origin. The causative gene of this rare syndrome remains unknown.

Global and communicative development skills in preschool children with cleft lip and palate.

IMPORTANCE: Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is globally among the most common childhood malformations. This disorder impacts childhood development, including speech and language, and affects children worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To analyze child development skills (adaptive fine motor, gross motor, personal-social, and language) in preschool children with isolated CLP compared with children without this malformation. METHODS: The participants included an experimental group of 27 children with isolated CLP and a comparison group of 27 children without CLP aged between 48 and 59 months. The groups were evaluated using two instruments: the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II) and the Avaliação do Desenvolvimento da Linguagem (ADL-Language Development Assessment). Data were analyzed by descriptive and inductive analyses, using the Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney test, at a significance level of P ˂ 0.05. RESULTS: All children in the comparison group performed within normal standards for their age range in the DDST-II and the ADL. The worst performance in the experimental group was observed in language skills, followed, in declining order, by adaptive fine motor, personal-social, and gross motor as measured by the DDST-II. Children with isolated CLP also performed poorly in receptive, expressive, and global language in the ADL. No statistically significant differences were observed in the experimental group's scores for the ADL and the DDST-II. INTERPRETATION: Developmental skill levels were below expectations for children of this age with isolated CLP.

Auditory and language skills in children with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVES: to investigate auditory and language skills in children with repaired cleft lip and palate. METHODS: The sample was composed of 22 children registered at the hospital where the study was conducted, seven to nine years old, 50% being female, with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (right or left), without associated malformations. Auditory skills were assessed using four central auditory processing tests: Random Gap Detection Test, Dichotic Digit Test, Dichotic Non-Verbal Test, Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test. Language performance was evaluated by four standardized instruments: Illinois Psycholinguistic Skills Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Token Test and Phonological Skills Profile. The association between auditory and language skills was evaluated by the Fisher exact test at a significance level of 5% (p<.05). RESULTS: The central auditory processing tests evidenced that only one child presented adequate performance in all skills analysed, five children presented impaired performance in all skills, and 16 exhibited deteriorations in one to three auditory skills, highlighting that temporal resolution was the most impaired skill (81%). Concerning language, three children presented adequate performance in all tests applied, and Visual Association and Auditory Association were the most impaired skills (40%). No association was observed between deteriorations in auditory and language skills. CONCLUSION: There was high occurrence of impairment of auditory skills, which compose the central auditory processing, as well as of language skills, with greatest impairment of receptive language.

Identification of a microdeletion at the 7q33-q35 disrupting the CNTNAP2 gene in a Brazilian stuttering case.

Speech and language disorders are some of the most common referral reasons to child development centers accounting for approximately 40% of cases. Stuttering is a disorder in which involuntary repetition, prolongation, or cessation of the sound precludes the flow of speech. About 5% of individuals in the general population have a stuttering problem, and about 80% of the affected children recover naturally. The causal factors of stuttering remain uncertain in most cases; studies suggest that genetic factors are responsible for 70% of the variance in liability for stuttering, whereas the remaining 30% is due to environmental effects supporting a complex cause of the disorder. The use of high-resolution genome wide array comparative genomic hybridization has proven to be a powerful strategy to narrow down candidate regions for complex disorders. We report on a case with a complex set of speech and language difficulties including stuttering who presented with a 10 Mb deletion of chromosome region 7q33-35 causing the deletion of several genes and the disruption of CNTNAP2 by deleting the first three exons of the gene. CNTNAP2 is known to be involved in the cause of language and speech disorders and autism spectrum disorder and is in the same pathway as FOXP2, another important language gene, which makes it a candidate gene for causal studies speech and language disorders such as stuttering.

Saethre-Chotzen syndrome, Pro136His TWIST mutation, hearing loss, and external and middle ear structural anomalies: report on a Brazilian family.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical, speech, hearing, and imaging findings in three members of a Brazilian family with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS) who presented some unusual characteristics within the spectrum of the syndrome. DESIGN: Clinical evaluation was performed by a multidisciplinary team. Direct sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction-amplified coding region of the TWIST1 gene, routine and electrophysiological hearing evaluation, speech evaluation, and imaging studies through computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. RESULTS: TWIST1 gene analysis revealed a Pro136His mutation in all patients. Hearing evaluation showed peripherial and mixed hearing loss in two of the patients, one of them with severe unilateral microtia. Computed tomography scan showed structural middle ear anomalies, and MRI showed distortion of the skull contour as well as some of the brain structures. CONCLUSIONS: We report a previously undescribed TWIST1 gene mutation in patients with SCS. There is evidence that indicates hearing loss (conductive and mixed) can be related both with middle ear (microtia, high jugular bulb, and enlarged vestibules) as well as with brain stem anomalies. Here we discuss the relationship between the gene mutation and the clinical, imaging, speech, and hearing findings.

Possible new syndrome: Left ventricular noncompaction, partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, and developmental delay in a Brazilian child.

We report on the clinical, neuropsychological and language characteristics of a boy with left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC), agenesis of the splenium of the corpus callosum, minor anomalies of face and limbs, mild mental retardation, and speech and language disabilities. The occurrence of pilomatricoma (calcifying epithelioma) may be part of the clinical spectrum or a fortuitous finding. Compared to other related conditions with LVNC suggests that this is a "new" unique pattern MCA/MR syndrome.

Child development skills and language in toddlers with cleft lip and palate.

INTRODUCTION: Children born with cleft lip and palate (CLP) are exposed to several risk factors for developmental delay. METHODS: This cross-sectional and descriptive study compared the performance of gross motor, adaptive fine motor, social-personal and language skills in children with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (age = 36-47 months, n = 30) matched as to chronological age and gender. The evaluation instruments were Denver Developmental Screening Test II and MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory - part D, employed for the receptive and expressive vocabulary checklist. Intergroup comparisons were performed using t tests and Chi-square tests. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to verify the inter-category correlation (p ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference in gross motor, adaptive fine motor, and language skills, both in receptive and expressive aspects, in the comparison between groups. In the personal-social area, children with CLP presented performance below the expected, without statistically significant difference between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Children with CLP are at risk for developmental disorders and should be monitored from early childhood to minimize the deleterious effects of this risk condition.

Hearing Disorders in Congenital Toxoplasmosis: A Literature Review.

Introduction Several studies show correlations between congenital toxoplasmosis and hearing loss, with a broad diversity of levels of hearing loss and specifications of hearing disorders. Objective To describe the studies found in the literature regarding hearing disorders in congenital toxoplasmosis. Data Synthesis A literature review was conducted on the Lilacs, SciELO, PubMed and Scopus databases by combining the following keywords: congenital toxoplasmosis and hearing . Based on this search strategy, 152 papers were found, the majority published on the Scopus and PubMed databases from 1958 to 2015. After the application of the inclusion criteria, 8 articles published between 1980 and 2015 were included in the present study. Conclusion This review showed a moderate evidence of the association between hearing disorders and congenital toxoplasmosis, which is characterized by sensorineural hearing loss. However, there are gaps in the description of the specific characteristics of the type and level of hearing loss, or of other possible disorders involved in the auditory processing.

Development and Evaluation of a Blog about Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate and Hearing.

Introduction Cleft lip and cleft palate can result in impairments in communication, specifically in hearing, making the use of technological resources such as blogs a fundamental guideline for health professionals. Objective The aim of this study was to prepare and analyze the access to a blog about cleft lip and cleft palate and hearing as a pedagogical tool for health professionals. Methods The first stage for the development of the blog was the selection of the content that would be addressed and the respective illustrations. The second stage was making the blog available through the WordPress platform, and the third stage included the evaluation of the blog, of the access to the WordPress statistical features, and of the quality of the blog through the Emory questionnaire, which was answered by 75 professionals. Results The blog, titled "Fissure and Hearing", was developed with the architecture of a digital information environment containing a system of organization, navigation, labeling and search (first stage). The address hosting the blog was: http://fissuraeaudicao.wordpress.com (second stage). The result of the third stage included 56,269 views of the blog from different countries, and Brazil was the country with the highest viewing. Regarding the assessment by the Emory questionnaire, we found that for most of the major issues, the percentages obtained were or equal to 90%, while the analysis of the scales, navigation and structure presented the lowest scores. Conclusion The blog was developed and enabled greater access to information available on the web about cleft lip and cleft palate and hearing.

Communicative performance and vocabulary domain in preschool preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the performance of children in preschool age who were born premature and term, without neurological injury, regarding receptive and expressive language skills, and to reflect on the importance of these skills for performance in preschool. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups named Preterm Group and Comparison Group, each composed by 40 children, as well as 80 legal representatives (mothers) and 80 teachers of the participants. To pair the groups, we considered chronological age (months), sex, educational level, type of school (public or private) and socioeconomic status. To assess the groups we used structured and semi-structured Observation of Communicative Behavior and applied the ABFW Child Language Test - Part B-Vocabulary and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. To assess the legal representatives we applied an anamnesis questionnaire and the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory. The assessment of the teachers consisted of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory and a Student Assessment Protocol developed by the authors. RESULTS: For the observation of communicative behavior, the categories with the highest losses were: narrative, maintaining dialogic activities and attention difficulties. In the ABFW Child Language Test and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test there were statistically significant differences. In the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory there were statistically significant differences in expressive vocabulary, but no differences in receptive vocabulary, for both the mothers and the teachers. CONCLUSION: Children born prematurely with low risk of neurological sequelae in preschool age may have greater difficulties in linguistic performance than their peers born to term.

Could speech disorders in children with cleft lip and palate be justified by impaired central auditory skills?

ABSTRACT Purpose: to verify the association between central auditory skills and speech disorders related to velopharyngeal dysfunction. Methods: forty-five children, with repaired non-syndromic cleft lip and palate or cleft lip only, aged 7-11 years old, were divided into three groups: G1 (n=15), children with hypernasality, nasal air emission, and compensatory articulations; G2 (n=15), children with hypernasality and nasal air emission, but without compensatory articulations; and G3 (n=15), children without hypernasality, nasal air emission, and compensatory articulations. The medical records of all participants were analyzed to verify the eligibility criteria and obtain speech assessments, and then, they were submitted to an assessment of central auditory skills. Statistical analysis comprised descriptive and chi-square test with a significance level of 5%. Results: G1 presented a higher occurrence of impairment in central auditory skills differing from the other groups, particularly in the temporal ordering and binaural integration skills. A significant difference was observed among groups in temporal ordering ability. No significant association was found between the use of specific types of compensatory articulations and impaired auditory skills. Conclusion: there was an association between changes in temporal ordering auditory skills and binaural integration in children with velopharyngeal dysfunction, regardless of the presence or type of compensatory articulation found.

Programas de educação em saúde em escolas para adolescentes: revisão integrativa da literatura / Health education programs in schools for adolescents: an integrative literature review / Programas de educación en salud en escuelas para adolescentes: una revisión integrativa de la literatura

Introdução: Projetos de educação em saúde em escolas possibilitam a criação de oportunidades e transformação da realidade, em que os alunos tornam-se disseminadores do conhecimento para a comunidade. Objetivo: Analisar programas de educação em saúde para jovens em escolas, a fim de verificar o uso de tecnologias de informação e comunicação como estratégias para as intervenções. Método: Foi realizada uma Revisão Integrativa da literatura. As buscas foram realizadas nas bases de dados PubMed, LILACS, Scopus e Embase, considerando os últimos 10 anos. Resultados: A amostra final contemplou 27 estudos. Diferentes tipos de estratégias e recursos foram utilizados, algumas envolvendo tecnologia de informação e comunicação, outras não. Dentre estes recursos, os mais utilizados foram projeção audiovisual presente em 13 artigos, e discussão e diálogo, presentes em 16 artigos. Em relação à avaliação dos programas, 26 artigos descreveram os resultados, em 23 casos os resultados foram positivos, e em três casos os resultados foram regulares. Conclusão: Este estudo demonstrou que são inúmeras as estratégias e recursos utilizados no desenvolvimento de um projeto de educação em saúde eficaz. Nos estudos desenvolvidos no Brasil, houve predominância da utilização de recursos tecnológicos, como o uso de tutores eletrônicos para atividades à distância. (AU)

Introduction: Health education projects in schools create opportunities to transform reality, as students help spread knowledge to the community. Objective: To analyze health education programs for young people in schools, to verify the use of information and communication technology as intervention strategies. Method: An integrative review of the literature was conducted, searching articles in the PubMed, LILACS, Scopus, and Embase databases, considering the last 10 years. Results: The final sample had 27 studies. Various types of strategies and resources were used; some of them included information and communication technology, while others did not use them. The most used resources were audiovisual projection (present in 13 articles) and discussion and dialog (present in 16 articles). As for program assessment, 26 articles reported the results ­ which were positive in 23 and average in three of them. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that countless strategies and resources are used to develop effective health education projects. The use of technological resources (such as electronic tutors in remote activities) predominated in Brazilian studies. (AU)

Introducción: Los proyectos de educación para la salud en las escuelas permiten la creación de oportunidades y la transformación de la realidad, en la que los estudiantes se convierten en difusores del conocimiento a la comunidad. Objetivo: Analizar los programas de educación para la salud de los jóvenes en las escuelas, con el fin de verificar el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación como estrategias de intervención. Método: Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica integradora. Las búsquedas se realizaron en las bases de datos PubMed, LILACS, Scopus y Embase, considerando los últimos 10 años. Resultados: La muestra final comprendía 27 estudios. Se utilizaron diferentes tipos de estrategias y recursos, algunos con tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, otros no. Entre estos recursos, los más utilizados fueron la proyección audiovisual, presente en 13 artículos, y el debate y el diálogo, presentes en 16 artículos. En cuanto a la evaluación de los programas, 26 artículos describieron los resultados, en 23 casos los resultados fueron positivos y en tres casos los resultados fueron regulares. Conclusión: Este estudio demostró que existen numerosas estrategias y recursos utilizados en el desarrollo de un proyecto de educación sanitaria eficaz. En los estudios desarrollados en Brasil, hubo un predominio del uso de recursos tecnológicos, como el uso de tutores electrónicos para las actividades a distancia. (AU)

Assessment of websites on cleft lip and palate in Brazilian Portuguese

ABSTRACT Purpose: this study aimed at assessing the legibility, reliability, usability and coverage of websites on cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) in Brazilian Portuguese and providing a global comparison. Methods: in order to evaluate the obtained data, four protocols were used, i.e., the Website Coverage Protocol, the legibility (by means of the COH METRIX PORT), the reliability (Discern Protocol), and the usability (by means of the System Usability Scale). Results: 98 websites were included with average legibility scoring of 31.6±11.7, rated as a hard readability level. Coverage average scoring was 19.9±3.79 from a total of 35 points. As for reliability, average scoring was 43.2±6.51 points, rated as acceptable. The usability scoring was 24.8±2.18 points, rated as the worst imaginable one. Conclusion: therefore, the assessed Brazilian websites on CL/P were rated difficult for legibility, requiring high-school level of education, restricted coverage and acceptable reliability, in addition to the low usability. The results were similar to those of websites from other countries, except for the legibility aspect, which was lower for Brazilian websites.