Machine-Scored Syntax: Comparison of the CLAN Automatic Scoring Program to Manual Scoring.

Purpose The results of automatic machine scoring of the Index of Productive Syntax from the Computerized Language ANalysis (CLAN) tools of the Child Language Data Exchange System of TalkBank (MacWhinney, 2000) were compared to manual scoring to determine the accuracy of the machine-scored method. Method Twenty transcripts of 10 children from archival data of the Weismer Corpus from the Child Language Data Exchange System at 30 and 42 months were examined. Measures of absolute point difference and point-to-point accuracy were compared, as well as points erroneously given and missed. Two new measures for evaluating automatic scoring of the Index of Productive Syntax were introduced: Machine Item Accuracy (MIA) and Cascade Failure Rate- these measures further analyze points erroneously given and missed. Differences in total scores, subscale scores, and individual structures were also reported. Results Mean absolute point difference between machine and hand scoring was 3.65, point-to-point agreement was 72.6%, and MIA was 74.9%. There were large differences in subscales, with Noun Phrase and Verb Phrase subscales generally providing greater accuracy and agreement than Question/Negation and Sentence Structures subscales. There were significantly more erroneous than missed items in machine scoring, attributed to problems of mistagging of elements, imprecise search patterns, and other errors. Cascade failure resulted in an average of 4.65 points lost per transcript. Conclusions The CLAN program showed relatively inaccurate outcomes in comparison to manual scoring on both traditional and new measures of accuracy. Recommendations for improvement of the program include accounting for second exemplar violations and applying cascaded credit, among other suggestions. It was proposed that research on machine-scored syntax routinely report accuracy measures detailing erroneous and missed scores, including MIA, so that researchers and clinicians are aware of the limitations of a machine-scoring program. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.11984364.

Expressiveness of voice professionals: construction process of a speech-language pathology assessment script. / Expressividade do profissional da voz: processo de construção de um roteiro fonoaudiológico de observação.

PURPOSE: To create a consensus version of a speech-language pathology (SLP) script to assess the expressiveness of voice professionals. METHODS: The process was divided into three stages: stage 1 included a survey of the literature and classification of the variables found in the instruments used; in steps 2 and 3, through teamwork, expert judges (focus groups I and II) created and adapted, along with the researcher, a consensus version of the expressiveness assessment script. RESULTS: The initial list presented to the judges contained 48 variables found in the literature: 11 related to emotional and interpretation aspects, 20 associated with oral expressiveness, three related to issues of verbal expressiveness, and 14 related to nonverbal expressiveness. In stage 2, the initial version of the script of the focus group I resulted in a document with 28 parameters, distributed in three thematic assessment groups: general aspects of communication, with three parameters; aspects related to oral expressiveness, with 16 parameters; aspects associated with body expressiveness, with nine parameters. In stage 3, after adequacy by focus group II, the consensus version also resulted in 28 parameters, distributed in two thematic groups. CONCLUSION: The consensus version of the SLP expressiveness assessment script for voice professionals was finalized with 28 parameters, distributed in two thematic axes: initial impact of communication, with six parameters; expressiveness, with 22 parameters.

OBJETIVO: criar uma versão consenso de roteiro de observação fonoaudiológica da expressividade. MÉTODO: o processo foi dividido em três etapas sendo a primeira levantamento e classificação das variáveis encontradas nos instrumentos apresentados na literatura; e nas etapas 2 e 3, na direção de trabalho coletivo, juízes especialistas (grupo focal I e II) criaram e adequaram, junto com a pesquisadora, a versão consenso do roteiro de avaliação da expressividade. RESULTADOS: a lista inicial apresentada aos juízes continha 48 variáveis presentes na literatura, sendo 11 relacionados a aspectos emocionais e de interpretação, 20 à expressividade oral, três a aspectos relacionados à expressividade verbal e, finalmente, 14 à expressividade não verbal. Na etapa 2, a versão inicial do roteiro do grupo focal I resultou num documento com 28 parâmetros distribuídos em três grupos temáticos de avaliação: aspectos gerais de comunicação, com três parâmetros; aspectos relacionados à expressividade oral, com 16; e aspectos relacionados à expressividade corporal, com nove parâmetros. Na etapa 3, a versão consenso, após a adequação do grupo focal II, também foi finalizada com 28 parâmetros, distribuídos em dois eixos temáticos. CONCLUSÃO: a versão consenso do Roteiro Fonoaudiológico de Observação da Expressividade foi finalizada com 28 parâmetros, distribuídos em dois eixos temáticos sendo: de impacto inicial da comunicação, com seis parâmetros; e expressividade, com 22.

The Impact of Real-Time Articulatory Information on Phonetic Transcription: Ultrasound-Aided Transcription in Cleft Lip and Palate Speech.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether adding an additional modality, namely ultrasound tongue imaging (UTI), to perception-based phonetic transcription impacted on the identification of compensatory articulations and on interrater reliability. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-nine English-speaking children aged 3-12 years with cleft lip and palate (CLP) were recorded producing repetitions of /aCa/ for all places of articulation with simultaneous audio recording and probe-stabilized ultrasound (US). Three types of transcriptions were performed: (1) descriptive observations from the live US by the clinician recording the data, (2) US-aided transcription (UA) by two US-trained clinicians, and (3) traditional phonetic transcription by two CLP specialists from audio recording. We compared the number of consonants identified as in error by each transcriber and then classified errors into eight different subcategories. RESULTS: Both UA and traditional transcription yielded similar error detection rates; however, these were significantly higher than the observations recorded live in the clinic. Interrater reliability for the US transcribers was substantial (κ = 0.65) compared to moderate (κ = 0.47) for the traditional transcribers. US transcribers were more likely to identify covert errors such as double articulations and retroflexion than the audio-only transcribers. CONCLUSION: UTI is a useful complement to traditional phonetic transcription for CLP speech.

Development of a Free Online Interactive Naming Therapy for Bilingual Aphasia.

Purpose The purpose of this ongoing project was to provide speech-language pathologists who serve culturally and linguistically diverse populations with a freely available online tool for naming therapy in a variety of languages. The purpose of this clinical focus article was to report on this resource in an effort to make known its existence, its instructions for use, and the evidence-based practices from which it was developed. Method The website, http://bilingualnamingtherapy.psu.edu/, was created by the research team in collaboration with a web programmer using Amazon Web Services. The treatment protocol for the website was adapted from an evidence-based naming intervention in which clients select and verify appropriate semantic features for the target words. This protocol comes from the work of Kiran and colleagues (Edmonds & Kiran, 2006; Kiran & Iakupova, 2011; Kiran & Lo, 2013; Kiran & Roberts, 2010; Kiran, Sandberg, Gray, Ascenso, & Kester, 2013; Krishnan, Tiwari, Kiran, & Chengappa, 2014), who showed positive benefits of this therapy within and across languages in bilingual persons with aphasia. The stimuli for the online therapy were developed in a variety of languages. First, words and semantic features were translated from English to 10 different languages. Next, surveys were created using Qualtrics software and posted on Amazon Mechanical Turk to verify picture labels and semantic features for each word in each language. The results of these surveys guided the stimuli used for each language on the website. An interactive website was developed to allow clinicians to select a set of words and progress through a series of steps. A step-by-step tutorial on how to use this website is also included in this article. Conclusions The interactive online naming therapy described in this article is currently available in English and Spanish, with Chinese under construction. Several more languages are in various stages of preparation for use on the website, and suggestions for additional languages are being actively sought. http://bilingualnamingtherapy.psu.edu/ promises to be a useful tool for speech-language pathologists who work with culturally and linguistically diverse clients. This website provides naming therapy materials, adapted from an evidence-based protocol, in a variety of languages, that have been developed based on feedback from speakers of each language to maximize cultural and linguistic appropriateness.

Expressividade do profissional da voz: processo de construção de um roteiro fonoaudiológico de observação / Expressiveness of voice professionals: construction process of a speech-language pathology assessment script

RESUMO Objetivo criar uma versão consenso de roteiro de observação fonoaudiológica da expressividade. Método o processo foi dividido em três etapas sendo a primeira levantamento e classificação das variáveis encontradas nos instrumentos apresentados na literatura; e nas etapas 2 e 3, na direção de trabalho coletivo, juízes especialistas (grupo focal I e II) criaram e adequaram, junto com a pesquisadora, a versão consenso do roteiro de avaliação da expressividade. Resultados a lista inicial apresentada aos juízes continha 48 variáveis presentes na literatura, sendo 11 relacionados a aspectos emocionais e de interpretação, 20 à expressividade oral, três a aspectos relacionados à expressividade verbal e, finalmente, 14 à expressividade não verbal. Na etapa 2, a versão inicial do roteiro do grupo focal I resultou num documento com 28 parâmetros distribuídos em três grupos temáticos de avaliação: aspectos gerais de comunicação, com três parâmetros; aspectos relacionados à expressividade oral, com 16; e aspectos relacionados à expressividade corporal, com nove parâmetros. Na etapa 3, a versão consenso, após a adequação do grupo focal II, também foi finalizada com 28 parâmetros, distribuídos em dois eixos temáticos. Conclusão a versão consenso do Roteiro Fonoaudiológico de Observação da Expressividade foi finalizada com 28 parâmetros, distribuídos em dois eixos temáticos sendo: de impacto inicial da comunicação, com seis parâmetros; e expressividade, com 22.

ABSTRACT Purpose To create a consensus version of a speech-language pathology (SLP) script to assess the expressiveness of voice professionals. Methods The process was divided into three stages: stage 1 included a survey of the literature and classification of the variables found in the instruments used; in steps 2 and 3, through teamwork, expert judges (focus groups I and II) created and adapted, along with the researcher, a consensus version of the expressiveness assessment script. Results The initial list presented to the judges contained 48 variables found in the literature: 11 related to emotional and interpretation aspects, 20 associated with oral expressiveness, three related to issues of verbal expressiveness, and 14 related to nonverbal expressiveness. In stage 2, the initial version of the script of the focus group I resulted in a document with 28 parameters, distributed in three thematic assessment groups: general aspects of communication, with three parameters; aspects related to oral expressiveness, with 16 parameters; aspects associated with body expressiveness, with nine parameters. In stage 3, after adequacy by focus group II, the consensus version also resulted in 28 parameters, distributed in two thematic groups. Conclusion The consensus version of the SLP expressiveness assessment script for voice professionals was finalized with 28 parameters, distributed in two thematic axes: initial impact of communication, with six parameters; expressiveness, with 22 parameters.

Identifying developmental language disorder in bilingual children from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Purpose: To investigate an assessment approach that incorporates a parent questionnaire (ALDeQ) and two language processing tasks (nonword repetition [NWR] and recalling sentences [RS]) administered in English to differentiate bilingual children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) from typically developing (TD) bilingual children.Method: Participants were 42 typically developing bilingual children (biTD) and 19 bilingual children with DLD (biDLD). Groups were matched for age (M = 5;10) socioeconomic status (M = 1,023 SEIFA) and length of exposure to English (M = 33.4 months). Children were given a NWR and RS task. Parents completed the ALDeQ.Result: BiDLD had significantly (p < 0.005) lower average scores than biTD on all three assessment tools. The ALDeQ provided the highest diagnostic accuracy (100% sensitivity, 95.2% specificity, area under the curve [AUC] = 0.991). Two other combinations also provided good diagnostic accuracy (above 80% sensitivity and 80% specificity): combination of ALDeQ and NWR; scores below the cut-offline on any combination of assessment tools.Conclusion: Correct identification of DLD among bilingual children using an all English approach is possible. This approach has the potential to provide a practical and evidence-based solution for English speaking speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with bilingual children.

Development and validation of a speech pathology-specific questionnaire for persons with multiple sclerosis (SMS).

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Speech pathology-specific questionnaire for persons with Multiple Sclerosis (SMS).Method: Forty-one items were generated through a literature review. Items were submitted to a preliminary psychometric validation process consisting of principal component analysis, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and floor and ceiling effects using data from 164 participants. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing the SMS with the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Participants were recruited internationally through online channels and questionnaires were completed online.Result: The SMS contains 16 items describing three components: speech and voice, language, and swallowing. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the three components was satisfactory (α = 0.89-α = 0.91). Criterion validity was evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (ρ). A statistically significant weak to moderate correlation between the SMS and the SF-12 was identified (ρ = -0.004-ρ = -0.359). No floor or ceiling effects were present. The SMS demonstrated strong test-retest reliability. All items had an intra-class correlation coefficient ≥0.70.Conclusion: The SMS is a psychometrically robust patient-reported outcome measure to assess speech-language pathology symptoms in persons with MS.

The Accuracy of Smartphone Sound Level Meter Applications With and Without Calibration.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy of smartphone sound level meter applications (SLMAs) with calibration features across stimulus levels and for ambient room noise measures in the clinical setting. Method: The accuracy of 3 iOS-based smartphone SLMAs (SLMA1: Analyzer [Version 2.7.2, DSP Mobile], SLMA2: Sound Level Meter Pro [Version 2.2, Mint Muse LLC], and SLMA3: SPL Meter [Version 9.3, Andrew Smith, Studio Six Digital]), using a single smartphone device (iPhone 6S Model A1688, iOS 9.3.4, Apple), was evaluated with and without calibration using a 1000-Hz narrowband noise (NBN) and white noise (WN) stimuli over a range of sound levels (20-100 dB) and in ambient noise measures of 8 speech and hearing room environments. A simultaneous and corresponding SLMA and Type 1 sound level meter (SLM) measure per condition were documented with a photo image; each condition was replicated 5 times. Mean SLMA and SLM measures were compared. SLMA measures were considered accurate if within ± 2 dB of the SLM. Results: Measures of NBN and WN signals using these SLMAs were accurate at levels above 40-50 dB when calibrated. NBN and WN signals using some SLMAs were significantly (p < .05) more accurate with calibration at levels > 40 to 50 dB. SLMA measures with or without calibration adjustment were inaccurate and overestimated room ambient noise levels < 50 dB. Conclusions: These findings suggest that some SLMAs are accurate for measuring NBN and WN stimuli within the range of 50-100 dB in sound-treated environments when calibrated. However, outcomes indicated that some SLMAs, even with calibration, overestimated low ambient noise levels and may not accurately verify quiet room environments < 50 dB for clinical services. These results should not be generalized for all smartphone types, and continued research on SLMAs using next-generation smartphone devices is warranted.

Speech-driven mobile games for speech therapy: User experiences and feasibility.

Purpose: To assist in remote treatment, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) rely on mobile games, which though entertaining, lack feedback mechanisms. Games integrated with automatic speech recognition (ASR) offer a solution where speech productions control gameplay. We therefore performed a feasibility study to assess children's and SLPs' experiences towards speech-controlled games, game feature preferences and ASR accuracy. Method: Ten children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), six typically developing (TD) children and seven SLPs trialled five games and answered questionnaires. Researchers also compared the results of ASR to perceptual judgment. Result: Children and SLPs found speech-controlled games interesting and fun, despite ASR-human disagreements. They preferred games with rewards, challenge and multiple difficulty levels. Automatic speech recognition-human agreement was higher for SLPs than children, similar between TD and CAS and unaffected by CAS severity (77% TD, 75% CAS - incorrect; 51% TD, 47% CAS, 71% SLP - correct). Manual stop recording yielded higher agreement than automatic. Word length did not influence agreement. Conclusion: Children's and SLPs' positive responses towards speech-controlled games suggest that they can engage children in higher intensity practice. Our findings can guide future improvements to the ASR, recording methods and game features to improve the user experience and therapy adherence.

Joint Magnetic Calibration and Localization Based on Expectation Maximization for Tongue Tracking.

BACKGROUND: Tongue tracking, which helps researchers gain valuable insights into speech mechanism, has many applications in speech therapy and language learning. The wireless localization technique, which involves tracking a small magnetic tracer within the 3-D oral space, provides a low cost and convenient approach to capture tongue kinematics. In practice, this technique requires accurate calibration of three-axial magnetic sensors used in the tracking system. The data-driven calibration depends on the trajectories of magnetic tracer and the ambient noise, which may change across time and space. METHODS: In this paper, we model the kinematics of tracer movement and the noisy magnetic measurements in a Bayesian framework, then present a joint calibration and localization (JCL) algorithm based on expectation maximization (EM), where the unscented Rauch-Tung-Striebel smoother is employed for tracer localization and the curvilinear search algorithm is applied for sensor calibration. RESULTS: Based on measurements conducted on our tongue tracking system with a small magnetic tracer (diameter: 6.05 mm, thickness: 1.25 mm, residual induction: 14 800 G), the JCL algorithm achieves averaged root mean square error of 0.45 mm for tracer position estimation and for tracer orientation estimation, which are significantly lower than those of the separate calibration and localization algorithms. CONCLUSION: These results show that JCL can help improve the localization accuracy of this system. SIGNIFICANCE: A potentially high precision tongue tracking method is demonstrated.

Designing augmentative and alternative communication applications: the results of focus groups with speech-language pathologists and parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to gain insight from speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regarding appealing features of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) applications. METHOD: Two separate 1-hour focus groups were conducted with 8 SLPs and 5 parents of children with ASD to identify appealing design features of AAC Apps, their benefits and potential concerns. Participants were shown novel interface designs for communication mode, play mode and incentive systems. Participants responded to poll questions and provided benefits and drawbacks of the features as part of structured discussion. RESULTS: SLPs and parents identified a range of appealing features in communication mode (customization, animation and colour-coding) as well as in play mode (games and videos). SLPs preferred interfaces that supported motor planning and instruction while parents preferred those features such as character assistants that would appeal to their child. Overall SLPs and parents agreed on features for future AAC Apps. CONCLUSION: SLPs and parents have valuable input in regards to future AAC app design informed by their experiences with children with ASD. Both groups are key stakeholders in the design process and should be included in future design and research endeavors. Implications for Rehabilitation AAC applications for the iPad are often designed based on previous devices without consideration of new features. Ensuring the design of new interfaces are appealing and beneficial for children with ASD can potentially further support their communication. This study demonstrates how key stakeholders in AAC including speech language pathologists and parents can provide information to support the development of future AAC interface designs. Key stakeholders may be an untapped resource in the development of future AAC interfaces for children with ASD.

Procesos fonológicos en una prueba de repetición de no-palabras en niños con trastorno específico del lenguaje / Phonological processes in a non-word repetition task in children with specific language impairment

El análisis de los procesos fonológicos se ha centrado en muestras provenientes de habla espontánea y en edades muy tempranas. Actualmente, existen muy pocos estudios que describan estos procesos fonológicos en español en edades tardías y que se basen en tareas que involucren una alta carga de procesamiento de la memoria de trabajo como lo es en una prueba de repetición de no-palabras (RNP) en poblaciones con trastorno específico del lenguaje (TEL). Este trabajo contrasta el tipo y ocurrencia de los errores fonológicos entre niños mexicanos con TEL y niños con desarrollo típico (DT) de edad escolar en una prueba de RNP. Participaron en el estudio 16 niños de 5 a 6 años, 8 niños con DT y 8 con TEL. Los resultados mostraron patrones generales de los procesos fonológicos en ambos grupos. Se encontró una distribución similar de los procesos en los grupos TEL y DT. Estos resultados coinciden con otros estudios en otras lenguas y en otras poblaciones en tipo y ocurrencia de procesos: los grupos de niños con TEL presentaron un mayor número de procesos fonológicos. Los procesos más frecuentes en los grupos fueron los de asimilación, modificación de la estructura silábica y los de procesos múltiples. Los procesos que distinguieron las poblaciones de niños con DT y TEL fueron los procesos múltiples, seguidos por los procesos que modifican la estructura silábica. Se muestra que, efectivamente, hay persistencia de los procesos fonológicos en etapas escolares, cuando la tarea exige un mayor nivel de procesamiento (AU)

Phonological processes have been extensively studied in spontaneous speech samples and in early stages of development. However, there are very few studies that have addressed these processes in Spanish at later ages in tasks involving a high processing load of the working memory such as a test of non-word repetition (NWR) in children with specific language impairment (SLI). This paper contrasts the occurrence of phonological errors among Mexican children with SLI and typically developing children (TD) using a NWR task. The study included 16 children aged 5-6 years: 8 children with SLI and 8 with TD. The results showed general patterns in the behavior of phonological processes in both groups. Also, a similar distribution of processes was in the SLI and TD groups. These results support studies in other languages both in type and tokens of processes: the SLI group had a higher number of phonological processes. The most productive processes in both groups were assimilation, processes with modification of the syllabic structure and multiple processes. The TD and SLI groups could be distinguished by phonological processes. Among those processes that showed differences between groups were multiple processes, followed by processes that modify the syllabic structure. We show that phonological processes are persistent into the school years when children are presented with a task that involves a greater processing load (AU)

Efficacy of Electropalatography for Treating Misarticulation of /r/.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to document the efficacy of electropalatography (EPG) for the treatment of rhotic errors in school-age children. Despite a growing body of literature using EPG for the treatment of speech sound errors, there is little systematic evidence about the relative efficacy of EPG for rhotic errors. METHOD: Participants were 5 English-speaking children aged 6;10 to 9;10, who produced /r/ at the word level with < 30% accuracy but otherwise showed typical speech, language, and hearing abilities. Therapy was delivered in twice-weekly 30-min sessions for 8 weeks. RESULTS: Four out of 5 participants were successful in achieving perceptually and acoustically accurate /r/ productions during within-treatment trials. Two participants demonstrated generalization of /r/ productions to nontreated targets, per blinded listener ratings. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings support the hypothesis that EPG can improve production accuracy in some children with rhotic errors. However, the utility of EPG is likely to remain variable across individuals. For rhotics, EPG training emphasizes one possible tongue configuration consistent with accurate rhotic production (lateral tongue contact). Although some speakers respond well to this cue, the narrow focus may limit lingual exploration of other acceptable tongue shapes known to facilitate rhotic productions.

Variability of the Pressure Measurements Exerted by the Tip of Laryngoscope During Laryngeal Sensory Testing: A Clinical Demonstration.

PURPOSE: Clinicians often test laryngeal sensation by touching the laryngeal mucosa with the tip of a flexible laryngoscope. However, the pressure applied to the larynx by using this touch method is unknown, and the expected responses elicited by this method are uncertain. The variability in pressure delivered by clinicians using the touch method was investigated, and the subject responses to the touches were also reported. METHODS: A fiberoptic pressure sensor passed through the working channel of a laryngoscope, with its tip positioned at the distal port of the channel. Two examiners each tested 8 healthy adults. Each examiner touched the mucosa covering the left arytenoid 3 times. The sensor recorded the pressure exerted by each touch. An investigator noted subject responses to the touches. From the recorded videos, the absence or presence of the laryngeal adductor reflex in response to touch was judged. RESULTS: Pressure values obtained for 46 of the 48 possible samples ranged from 17.9 mmHg to the measurement ceiling of 350.0 mmHg. The most frequently observed response was positive subject report followed by the laryngeal adductor reflex. CONCLUSION: Pressure applied to the larynx by using the touch method was highly variable, indicating potential diagnostic inaccuracy in determining laryngeal sensory function.

Recommendations for elaboration, transcultural adaptation and validation process of tests in Speech, Hearing and Language Pathology. / Recomendações para elaboração, tradução, adaptação transcultural e processo de validação de testes em Fonoaudiologia.

OBJECTIVE: to present a guide with recommendations for translation, adaptation, elaboration and process of validation of tests in Speech and Language Pathology. METHODS: the recommendations were based on international guidelines with a focus on the elaboration, translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation process of tests. RESULTS: the recommendations were grouped into two Charts, one of them with procedures for translation and transcultural adaptation and the other for obtaining evidence of validity, reliability and measures of accuracy of the tests. CONCLUSION: a guide with norms for the organization and systematization of the process of elaboration, translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation process of tests in Speech and Language Pathology was created.

Electropalatography and its correlation to tongue movement ultrasonography in speech analysis. / Eletropalatografia e sua correlação à ultrassonografia do movimento de língua nas análises da fala.

PURPOSE: To analyze the use of electropalatography and ultrasonography regarding speech therapy through literature narrative review. RESEARCH STRATEGIES: A literature review was conducted at PubMed and Scielo databases, using descriptors as electropalatography, electropalatography AND evaluation, electropalatography AND therapy, electropalatography AND ultrasonography, electropalatography AND speech. SELECTION CRITERIA: The research criteria selected in the database were: studies in the past five years and studies in humans. In the pre-selection, studies that were duplicate, not fully available, and have shown no direct relation with electropalatography in speech-language therapy were discarded. DATA ANALYSIS: Data analysis was performed descriptively, following subdivisions: title, area, year, subject, implementation, and conclusion of the study. RESULTS: Twenty one papers were selected, eight of them using the term electropalatography, two with the keywords electropalatography AND evaluation, six with the keywords electropalatography AND therapy, three of them with the keywords electropalatography AND ultrasonography, and two papers with the keywords electropalatography AND speech. CONCLUSION: Different types of research involving the use of electropalatography in the field of speech-language therapy were found and analyzed. Few researches have concomitantly used electropalatography and ultrasonography.

Maximal Ambient Noise Levels and Type of Voice Material Required for Valid Use of Smartphones in Clinical Voice Research.

PURPOSE: Smartphone technology provides new opportunities for recording standardized voice samples of patients and transmitting the audio files to the voice laboratory. This drastically improves the achievement of baseline designs, used in research on efficiency of voice treatments. However, the basic requirement is the suitability of smartphones for recording and digitizing pathologic voices (mainly characterized by period perturbations and noise) without significant distortion. In a previous article, this was tested using realistic synthesized deviant voice samples (/a:/) with three precisely known levels of jitter and of noise in all combinations. High correlations were found between jitter and noise to harmonics ratio measured in (1) recordings via smartphones, (2) direct microphone recordings, and (3) sound files generated by the synthesizer. In the present work, similar experiments were performed (1) in the presence of increasing levels of ambient noise and (2) using synthetic deviant voice samples (/a:/) as well as synthetic voice material simulating a deviant short voiced utterance (/aiuaiuaiu/). RESULTS: Ambient noise levels up to 50 dBA are acceptable. However, signal processing occurs in some smartphones, and this significantly affects estimates of jitter and noise to harmonics ratio when formant changes are introduced in analogy with running speech. The conclusion is that voice material must provisionally be limited to a sustained /a/.

Instrumental Assessment of Pediatric Dysphagia.

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have fulfilled primary roles in the evaluation and management of children with feeding/swallowing disorders for more than five decades. The increased incidence and prevalence of newborns, infants, and children with feeding and swallowing disorders has resulted in increased use of instrumental swallowing evaluations. The videofluoroscopic swallow study and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing are the two most commonly used swallowing assessments by SLPs, with ultrasound used less frequently. This article focuses on updates over the past decade in the procedures and utility of instrumental assessments of swallowing function, and identifies future directions that may enable us to meet the needs of the children who are in our care to attain functional outcomes.

Multimodal Speech Capture System for Speech Rehabilitation and Learning.

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are trained to correct articulation of people diagnosed with motor speech disorders by analyzing articulators' motion and assessing speech outcome while patients speak. To assist SLPs in this task, we are presenting the multimodal speech capture system (MSCS) that records and displays kinematics of key speech articulators, the tongue and lips, along with voice, using unobtrusive methods. Collected speech modalities, tongue motion, lips gestures, and voice are visualized not only in real-time to provide patients with instant feedback but also offline to allow SLPs to perform post-analysis of articulators' motion, particularly the tongue, with its prominent but hardly visible role in articulation. We describe the MSCS hardware and software components, and demonstrate its basic visualization capabilities by a healthy individual repeating the words "Hello World." A proof-of-concept prototype has been successfully developed for this purpose, and will be used in future clinical studies to evaluate its potential impact on accelerating speech rehabilitation by enabling patients to speak naturally. Pattern matching algorithms to be applied to the collected data can provide patients with quantitative and objective feedback on their speech performance, unlike current methods that are mostly subjective, and may vary from one SLP to another.

Smartphones Offer New Opportunities in Clinical Voice Research.

Smartphone technology provides new opportunities for recording standardized voice samples of patients and sending the files by e-mail to the voice laboratory. This drastically improves the collection of baseline data, as used in research on efficiency of voice treatments. However, the basic requirement is the suitability of smartphones for recording and digitizing pathologic voices (mainly characterized by period perturbations and noise) without significant distortion. In this experiment, two smartphones (a very inexpensive one and a high-level one) were tested and compared with direct microphone recordings in a soundproof room. The voice stimuli consisted in synthesized deviant voice samples (median of fundamental frequency: 120 and 200 Hz) with three levels of jitter and three levels of added noise. All voice samples were analyzed using PRAAT software. The results show high correlations between jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio measured on the recordings via both smartphones, the microphone, and measured directly on the sound files from the synthesizer. Smartphones thus appear adequate for reliable recording and digitizing of pathologic voices.