By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: A Virtual Speech Therapist with Endless Patience
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Innovations > A Virtual Speech Therapist with Endless Patience
eHealthMedical InnovationsTechnology

A Virtual Speech Therapist with Endless Patience

Danny Lieberman
Danny Lieberman
Share
3 Min Read
eHealth
SHARE

Our language and ability to communicate is something most of us take for granted.  Communications is the basis for sharing and the patient-doctor relationship – but what do you do when the patient has asphasia, common in patients with dementia and Parkinsons?

eHealthAphasia is a language disorder which ranges from having difficulty remembering words to losing the ability to speak, read, or write.

Our language and ability to communicate is something most of us take for granted.  Communications is the basis for sharing and the patient-doctor relationship – but what do you do when the patient has asphasia, common in patients with dementia and Parkinsons?

eHealthAphasia is a language disorder which ranges from having difficulty remembering words to losing the ability to speak, read, or write.

Acute aphasia disorders usually develop quickly as a result of head injury or stroke, and progressive forms of aphasia develop slowly from a brain tumor, infection, or dementia. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia)

Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia are working to develop virtual speech therapist in a first application of a computerized travel agent that is patient and doesn’t care how long you take or how slowly you speak.

Ultimately, the technology could serve as a key tool in helping people overcome aphasia.  Like physical therapy, speech therapy and in particular treatment of asphasia requires continuous practice – and a human speech therapist is expensive and not always accessible.

The promise of a virtual speech therapist is enormous – being able to challenge patients to spontaneously generate speech and put patients in a natural-feeling situation, that will help patients speak the correct words in the correct order.

Temple researchers want to build the virtual speech therapist vocabulary so that it can recognize all possible pronunciations of various words and respond with appropriate dialogue, and ultimately correct users who misspeak.

The mouth movements of therapists also are helpful to patients, so the virtual speech therapist will need to get these movements right.

Temple researchers also want to examine whether patients respond differently to virtual and human therapists, and they are experimenting with the avatar’s gender, ethnicity, and voice texture.

(See the full article here)

(Virtual speech therapy / shutterstock)

TAGGED:speech therapy
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Epidemiological Health Benefits
Personal and Epidemiological Health Benefits of Blood Pressure Management
Health
October 13, 2025
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries: What Families Need to Know
Policy & Law
October 10, 2025
Remote Monitoring touchpoints
Remote Monitoring Touchpoints Patients Will Actually Follow
Technology
October 9, 2025
dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025

You Might also Like

eHealth

The Future of Healthcare: Part II, The Waiting Room of Tomorrow

May 15, 2012

Online Bill Pay Starts to Accelerate in Healthcare

March 22, 2015

Mayo Clinic, Duke Conducting Study Comparing FUS With Uterine Artery Embolization

September 27, 2011

Meet the Tweeting Dutch Doctors Who Consult With Patients Via Twitter

January 25, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?