Gabriel J Cler1, Talia Mittelman2, Maia N Braden3, Geralyn Harvey Woodnorth4, Cara E Stepp5. 1. Graduate Program for Neuroscience-Computational Neuroscience, Boston University, MADepartment of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA. 2. Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, MA. 3. Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Voice and Swallow Clinics, University of Wisconsin, Madison. 4. Speech-Language Pathology Program, Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement, Boston Children's Hospital, MA. 5. Graduate Program for Neuroscience-Computational Neuroscience, Boston University, MADepartment of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, MADepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine, MA.
Abstract
Purpose: Video games provide a promising platform for rehabilitation of speech disorders. Although video games have been used to train speech perception in foreign language learners and have been proposed for aural rehabilitation, their use in speech therapy has been limited thus far. We present feasibility results from at-home use in a case series of children with velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) using an interactive video game that provided real-time biofeedback to facilitate appropriate nasalization. Method: Five participants were recruited across a range of ages, VPD severities, and VPD etiologies. Participants completed multiple weeks of individual game play with a video game that provides feedback on nasalization measured via nasal accelerometry. Nasalization was assessed before and after training by using nasometry, aerodynamic measures, and expert perceptual judgments. Results: Four participants used the game at home or school, with the remaining participant unwilling to have the nasal accelerometer secured to his nasal skin, perhaps due to his young age. The remaining participants showed a tendency toward decreased nasalization after training, particularly for the words explicitly trained in the video game. Conclusion: Results suggest that video game-based systems may provide a useful rehabilitation platform for providing real-time feedback of speech nasalization in VPD. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5116828.
Purpose: Video games provide a promising platform for rehabilitation of speech disorders. Although video games have been used to train speech perception in foreign language learners and have been proposed for aural rehabilitation, their use in speech therapy has been limited thus far. We present feasibility results from at-home use in a case series of children with velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) using an interactive video game that provided real-time biofeedback to facilitate appropriate nasalization. Method: Five participants were recruited across a range of ages, VPD severities, and VPD etiologies. Participants completed multiple weeks of individual game play with a video game that provides feedback on nasalization measured via nasal accelerometry. Nasalization was assessed before and after training by using nasometry, aerodynamic measures, and expert perceptual judgments. Results: Four participants used the game at home or school, with the remaining participant unwilling to have the nasal accelerometer secured to his nasal skin, perhaps due to his young age. The remaining participants showed a tendency toward decreased nasalization after training, particularly for the words explicitly trained in the video game. Conclusion: Results suggest that video game-based systems may provide a useful rehabilitation platform for providing real-time feedback of speech nasalization in VPD. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5116828.
Authors: Meredith J Cler; Yu-An S Lien; Maia N Braden; Talia Mittelman; Kerri Downing; Cara E Stepp Journal: J Speech Lang Hear Res Date: 2016-10-01 Impact factor: 2.297
Authors: Elizabeth S Heller Murray; Joseph O Mendoza; Simone V Gill; Joseph S Perkell; Cara E Stepp Journal: J Speech Lang Hear Res Date: 2016-10-01 Impact factor: 2.297