Albayzín 2010: a Spanish text to speech evaluation

The purpose of this study was to determine whether African American children who delete final consonants mark the presence of those consonants in a manner that might be overlooked in a typical speech evaluation. Using elicited sentences from 10 African American children from 4 to 9 years of age, two studies were conducted. First, vowel length was determined for minimal pairs in which final consonants were deleted. Second, listeners who identified final consonant deletions in the speech of the children were provided training in narrow transcription and reviewed the elicited sentences a second time. Results indicated that the children produced longer vowels preceding "deleted" voiced final consonants, and listeners perceived fewer deletions following training in narrow transcription. The results suggest that these children had knowledge of the final consonants perceived to be deleted. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed.

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A Review of 21 iPad Applications for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Purposes

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication ◽

10.1044/aac21.2.60 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 60-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Ashley Alliano ◽

Kimberly Herriger ◽

Anthony D. Koutsoftas ◽

Theresa E. Bartolotta

Keyword(s):

Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Alternative Form ◽

Alternative Communication ◽

Text To Speech ◽

Reference Guide ◽

Expressive Communication ◽

Communication Needs ◽

User Friendly ◽

Ipad Applications

Abstract Using the iPad tablet for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) purposes can facilitate many communicative needs, is cost-effective, and is socially acceptable. Many individuals with communication difficulties can use iPad applications (apps) to augment communication, provide an alternative form of communication, or target receptive and expressive language goals. In this paper, we will review a collection of iPad apps that can be used to address a variety of receptive and expressive communication needs. Based on recommendations from Gosnell, Costello, and Shane (2011), we describe the features of 21 apps that can serve as a reference guide for speech-language pathologists. We systematically identified 21 apps that use symbols only, symbols and text-to-speech, and text-to-speech only. We provide descriptions of the purpose of each app, along with the following feature descriptions: speech settings, representation, display, feedback features, rate enhancement, access, motor competencies, and cost. In this review, we describe these apps and how individuals with complex communication needs can use them for a variety of communication purposes and to target a variety of treatment goals. We present information in a user-friendly table format that clinicians can use as a reference guide.

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