UltraSuite: A Repository of Ultrasound and Acoustic Data from Child Speech Therapy Sessions

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report on telepractice-based holistic speech-language therapy services to reduce avoidance of stuttering and increase positive self-image as a communicator for an adult who covertly stutters as compared with baseline. Method: A single case study design was employed with baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases completed via telepractice. The participant received biweekly speech-language pathology services, including both individual and group sessions. The Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering–Adult and Stuttering Severity Instrument–Fourth Edition assessed the participant's overt and covert stuttering behaviors at pretreatment and posttreatment time frames. Weekly data points of participant's self-report of avoidance of stuttering during therapy sessions and during the week between therapy sessions as well as researcher-calculated frequency of stuttering were measured. Visual inspection was utilized to analyze treatment outcomes. Results: The participant demonstrated a reduction in avoidance of stuttering within sessions as well as the week prior to a session, as compared with baseline. Additionally, the participant presented with an increased percent of words stuttered following into maintenance as compared with baseline. Visual inspection of weekly data points of frequency of stuttering and self-report of avoidance appeared to present promising results throughout the intervention phase with potential treatment effects continuing into the maintenance phase. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrate preliminary evidence for potential positive outcomes of holistic speech therapy via telepractice for people who covertly stutter.

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Speech therapy with a group of hearing-impaired adolescents I: a sociolinguistic analysis of therapy sessions

Child Language Teaching and Therapy ◽

10.1177/026565909501100304 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 289-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

John Bench ◽

Donna McNeill-Brown ◽

Roxanne Backhouse ◽

Chyrisse Heine

Keyword(s):

Speech Therapy ◽

Hearing Impaired ◽

Therapy Sessions

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A Longitudinal Evaluation of Tablet-Based Child Speech Therapy with Apraxia World

ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing ◽

10.1145/3433607 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 1-26

Author(s):

Adam Hair ◽

Kirrie J. Ballard ◽

Constantina Markoulli ◽

Penelope Monroe ◽

Jacqueline Mckechnie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traditional Method ◽

Speech Therapy ◽

Treatment Phase ◽

Evaluation Framework ◽

Home Practice ◽

Child Speech ◽

Received Pronunciation ◽

Child Engagement ◽

Over Time

Digital games can make speech therapy exercises more enjoyable for children and increase their motivation during therapy. However, many such games developed to date have not been designed for long-term use. To address this issue, we developed Apraxia World, a speech therapy game specifically intended to be played over extended periods. In this study, we examined pronunciation improvements, child engagement over time, and caregiver and automated pronunciation evaluation accuracy while using our game over a multi-month period. Ten children played Apraxia World at home during two counterbalanced 4-week treatment blocks separated by a 2-week break. In one treatment phase, children received pronunciation feedback from caregivers and in the other treatment phase, utterances were evaluated with an automated framework built into the game. We found that children made therapeutically significant speech improvements while using Apraxia World, and that the game successfully increased engagement during speech therapy practice. Additionally, in offline mispronunciation detection tests, our automated pronunciation evaluation framework outperformed a traditional method based on goodness of pronunciation scoring. Our results suggest that this type of speech therapy game is a valid complement to traditional home practice.

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Contributions to Gain in Speech Sound Production Accuracy for Children With Speech Sound Disorders: Exploring Child and Therapy Factors

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/2019_lshss-19-00079 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 457-468

Author(s):

Kelly Farquharson ◽

Sherine R. Tambyraja ◽

Laura M. Justice

Keyword(s):

Sound Production ◽

Speech Therapy ◽

School Setting ◽

Speech Sound ◽

Spontaneous Speech ◽

Individual Therapy ◽

Speech Sound Disorders ◽

The Individual ◽

Therapy Sessions ◽

Production Accuracy

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which child- and therapy-level factors contribute to gains in speech sound production accuracy for children with speech sound disorders in receipt of school-based services. Method Data were obtained from 126 kindergarten and first- and second-grade children currently in receipt of speech therapy services in their public school setting. Pretest and posttest measures of spontaneous speech production and language ability were collected at the beginning and end of one academic year. Using a spontaneous speech sample, percentage of consonants correct (PCC) was calculated for each child; a gain score was computed by subtracting the pretest PCC score from the posttest PCC score. The children's speech-language pathologist completed weekly therapy logs during business-as-usual therapy, indicating the frequency, duration, and group composition of services throughout the school year. Results Results supported that gain in PCC from pretest to posttest was predicted by several child- and therapy-level variables. Children's initial speech sound severity was negatively related to gains in PCC. Our results also supported that the total number of therapy sessions received in a year was positively predictive of PCC gain. Interestingly, the number of individual therapy sessions was negatively associated with PCC gain. Conclusion Several malleable therapy factors contribute to gains in speech sound accuracy for children with speech sound disorders. Speech-language pathologists should consider how these factors may be manipulated to best tailor treatment to the individual needs of the children on their caseloads.

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Evaluating Automatic Speech Recognition for Child Speech Therapy Applications

The 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility - ASSETS '19 ◽

10.1145/3308561.3354606 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Adam Hair ◽

Kirrie J. Ballard ◽

Beena Ahmed ◽

Ricardo Gutierrez-Osuna

Keyword(s):

Speech Recognition ◽

Automatic Speech Recognition ◽

Speech Therapy ◽

Child Speech

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Development of the voiceless sibilant fricative contrast in three-year-olds: an ultrasound and acoustic study

Journal of Child Language ◽

10.1017/s0305000920000653 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

Natalia ZHARKOVA

Keyword(s):

Speech Therapy ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Older Children ◽

Acoustic Data ◽

Shape Dynamics ◽

Acoustic Study ◽

Dynamic Patterns

Abstract The study analysed spectral and tongue shape dynamics of voiceless alveolar and postalveolar fricatives produced by ten children learning Scottish English. Synchronised ultrasound tongue imaging data and acoustic data were used to characterise children's productions of the phonemic contrast. Six children had consistently accurate productions of both fricative targets, with some cross-consonant phonetic differences in the direction previously demonstrated for older children and adults, as well as some immature acoustic and articulatory dynamic patterns. Instrumental analyses made it possible to describe tongue shape for phonemic errors and phonetically distorted realisations. There was some evidence of articulatory contrast in production preceding contrast in perception. The observed patterns can be explained by the complex articulatory demands on the fricative production, in combination with the developing control of articulators. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the results for phonological theory and for speech therapy practice.

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Current Trends in Laryngectomy Rehabilitation: A Survey of Speech-Language Pathologists

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/019459989811800405 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 118 (4) ◽

pp. 458-463 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gerald L. Culton ◽

John M. Gerwin

Keyword(s):

Speech Production ◽

Speech Therapy ◽

Voice Prosthesis ◽

Sample Population ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Speech Rehabilitation ◽

Current Trends ◽

Tracheoesophageal Puncture ◽

Therapy Sessions ◽

Production Problems

This study determined the perceptions of experienced speech-language pathologists regarding current practices in the speech rehabilitation of laryngectomy patients since the introduction of the tracheoesophageal puncture-voice prosthesis technique in 1980. The sample population consisted of 151 experienced speech-language pathologists, or 43% of those who were sent questionnaires. The speech-language pathologists ranked tracheoe-sophageal puncture-voice prosthesis as their most preferred speech rehabilitation method and the electrolarynx as their least preferred, even though the electrolarynx continues to be the most frequently used method. Variable use of the tracheoesophageal puncture procedure by otolaryngologists was reported, with only a small portion perceived as using it routinely. About 65% of the speech-language pathologists reported that more than half of the laryngectomy patients were being given choices among speech rehabilitation methods. Nearly 50% of the speech-language pathologists reported that fewer than six speech therapy sessions were necessary with tracheoesophageal puncture patients, whereas more than 20% reported the need for 10 sessions or more. Use of manual closure of the tracheostoma by tracheoesophageal puncture patients far outweighed their use of automatic speaking valves. Most speech-language pathologists reported that they were involved in teams with otolaryngologists to determine patient suitability for tracheoesophageal puncture and to troubleshoot problems. Eighteen different categories of medical and speech production problems were reported.

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