Synthetic Speech Perception in Individuals with Intellectual and Communicative Disabilities

2010 ◽

pp. 177-187 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rajinder Koul ◽

James Dembowski

Keyword(s):

Speech Perception ◽

Clinical Significance ◽

Language Impairment ◽

Communication Systems ◽

Multiple Disabilities ◽

Repeated Exposure ◽

Synthetic Speech ◽

Speech Communication ◽

Hearing Impairments ◽

Language Disabilities

The purpose of this chapter is to review research conducted over the past two decades on the perception of synthetic speech by individuals with intellectual, language, and hearing impairments. Many individuals with little or no functional speech as a result of intellectual, language, physical, or multiple disabilities rely on non-speech communication systems to augment or replace natural speech. These systems include Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) that produce synthetic speech upon activation. Based on this review, the two main conclusions are evident. The first is that persons with intellectual and/or language impairment demonstrate greater difficulties in processing synthetic speech than their typical matched peers. The second conclusion is that repeated exposure to synthetic speech allows individuals with intellectual and/or language disabilities to identify synthetic speech with increased accuracy and speed. This finding is of clinical significance as it indicates that individuals who use SGDs become more proficient at understanding synthetic speech over a period of time.

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Acoustic Effects of Wearing an M40 Mask with Hood on Speech Perception Anf Roduction

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120004403734 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 44 (37) ◽

pp. 674-677

Author(s):

Sehchang Hah

Keyword(s):

Speech Perception ◽

Speech Production ◽

High Frequency ◽

Communication Systems ◽

Speech Communication ◽

Speech Stimuli ◽

Frequency Components ◽

Protective Mask ◽

Speech Perception And Production

The objective of this experiment was to quantify and localize the effects of wearing the nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) M40 protective mask and hood on speech production and perception. A designated speaker's vocalizations of 192 monosyllables while wearing an M40 mask with hood were digitized and used as speech stimuli. Another set of speech stimuli was produced by recording the same individual's vocalizing the same monosyllables without the mask and hood. Participants listened to one set of stimuli during two sessions, one session while wearing an M40 mask with hood and another session without the mask and hood. The results showed that wearing the mask with hood gave most detrimental effects on the sustention dimension acoustically for both speech perception and production. The results also showed that wearing it was detrimental on vocalizing and listening to fricatives and unvoiced-stops. These results may be due to the muffling effect of the voicemitter in speech production and the filtering effects of the voicemitter and the hood material on high frequency components during both speech production and perception. This information will be useful for designing better masks and hoods. This methodology also can be used to evaluate other speech communication systems.

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Thoughts on Grammar Intervention in AAC

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication ◽

10.1044/aac17.2.43 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 43-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Marc Fey

Keyword(s):

Language Impairment ◽

Specific Language Impairment ◽

Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽

Communication Systems ◽

Target Language ◽

Alternative Communication ◽

Physical Limitations ◽

Communication Needs ◽

Communication Interventions ◽

Planning Intervention

Abstract In this article, I propose that, for several reasons, grammar should be an early focus of communication interventions for young children using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. The basic goals for such programs should be to facilitate the child's comprehension of the language of the community, or the target language, thus leading the way to literacy, and to foster the child's use of symbol combinations that mirror the grammatical patterns of speaking children acquiring the target language, even if they cannot be fully grammatically complete. I introduce five principles that underlie most successful approaches to grammar interventions with children with specific language impairment. My initial attempts to apply these principles to interventions with children with complex communication needs indicate that they may be of considerable value to clinicians planning intervention programs. On the other hand, the challenges posed by the intellectual and physical limitations of many AAC users and their communication systems make it necessary to modify at least Principle 5 if the basic goals of intervention are to be met.

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Effect of Computerized Auditory Training on Speech Perception of Adults With Hearing Impairment

Perspectives on Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation ◽

10.1044/arri20.3.91 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 91-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rachel Pizarek ◽

Valeriy Shafiro ◽

Patricia McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Literature Review ◽

Low Cost ◽

Experimental Designs ◽

Auditory Training ◽

Hearing Impairments ◽

Communicative Disorders ◽

And Training

Computerized auditory training (CAT) is a convenient, low-cost approach to improving communication of individuals with hearing loss or other communicative disorders. A number of CAT programs are being marketed to patients and audiologists. The present literature review is an examination of evidence for the effectiveness of CAT in improving speech perception in adults with hearing impairments. Six current CAT programs, used in 9 published studies, were reviewed. In all 9 studies, some benefit of CAT for speech perception was demonstrated. Although these results are encouraging, the overall quality of available evidence remains low, and many programs currently on the market have not yet been evaluated. Thus, caution is needed when selecting CAT programs for specific patients. It is hoped that future researchers will (a) examine a greater number of CAT programs using more rigorous experimental designs, (b) determine which program features and training regimens are most effective, and (c) indicate which patients may benefit from CAT the most.

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Methods for psychoacoustic evaluation of speech communication systems.

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e438842004-001 ◽

1965 ◽

Author(s):

Carl E. Williams ◽

Michael H. L. Hecker ◽

Karl D. Kryter

Keyword(s):

Communication Systems ◽

Speech Communication

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Speech Perception in Adult Subjects With Familial Dyslexia

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3501.192 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 192-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Michele L. Steffens ◽

Rebecca E. Eilers ◽

Karen Gross-Glenn ◽

Bonnie Jallad

Keyword(s):

Steady State ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Synthetic Speech ◽

Acoustic Cues ◽

State Dynamic ◽

Spectral Cues ◽

Temporal Cues ◽

Familial Dyslexia ◽

Overall Performance

Speech perception was investigated in a carefully selected group of adult subjects with familial dyslexia. Perception of three synthetic speech continua was studied: /a/-//, in which steady-state spectral cues distinguished the vowel stimuli; /ba/-/da/, in which rapidly changing spectral cues were varied; and /sta/-/sa/, in which a temporal cue, silence duration, was systematically varied. These three continua, which differed with respect to the nature of the acoustic cues discriminating between pairs, were used to assess subjects’ abilities to use steady state, dynamic, and temporal cues. Dyslexic and normal readers participated in one identification and two discrimination tasks for each continuum. Results suggest that dyslexic readers required greater silence duration than normal readers to shift their perception from /sa/ to /sta/. In addition, although the dyslexic subjects were able to label and discriminate the synthetic speech continua, they did not necessarily use the acoustic cues in the same manner as normal readers, and their overall performance was generally less accurate.

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