Speech therapy system and method

Details Speech therapy system and method Speech therapy system and method

2001-01-25

2004-03-23

Dorvil, Richemond (Department: 2654)

Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language

Speech signal processing

Application

C434S185000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06711544

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for analyzing and remediating speech pathologies, and, more particularly, to such systems and methods that are computer-based.
2. Description of Related Art
Articulation and phonology disorders are the most common of the speech and language disorders. The prevalence of this disorder is, at the time of writing, approximately 10% of the school-age population. In addressing a perceived articulation issue in a student, speech/language pathologists have in the past used an initial test based upon a series of cards. Each card contains a picture and a word, and the student is asked to pronounce the word associated with the card. The pathologist then determines whether the student's pronunciation is “right” or “wrong.” It may be recognized that such a system can be cumbersome, owing to the cards' having to be placed in a desired order and sorted manually.
An intervention system designed to automate this process, Picture Gallery I, was presented by the owner of the current application. In this system pictures and/or words stored in a database could be sorted using a desired criterion such as a particular phoneme and presented to the student under software control for facilitating the acquisition or remediation of speech or language skills. No analysis or scoring is performed; rather, the product is intended for use by one or more students, either alone or in concert with a pathologist/teacher.
A previously known method of diagnosing articulation or phonology disorders included a “pencil and paper” test wherein a student is asked to speak a word. The therapist grades the word subjectively, based upon the therapist's ear and the local standards.
Other systems known in the art that address speech/language analysis and therapy methodologies includes those of Neuhaus (U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,393), Parry et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,085), UCSF and Rutgers (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,813,862 and 6,071,123), Neumeyer et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,498), Jenkins et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,927,988 and 6,019,607), Siegel (U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,397), Beard et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,173), Aaron et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,441), Russell et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,679,001 and 5,791,904), Rothenberg (U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,828), Wen (U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,453), and Ezawa et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,194). Commercial software products in the field of articulation, phonology, or speech sound production include SpeechViewer, Interactive System for Phonological Analysis, Speech Master, Visi-pitch, and Computerized Profiling. Commercial print products include the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation (American Guidance Service), Khan-Lewis Test of Phonology (American Guidance Service), Photo Articulation Test (ProEd), and Fisher-Logeman Test of Articulation (Pro-Ed).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for eliciting a desired sound from a user.
It is a further object to provide such a system and method adapted to generate a report.
It is another object to provide a system and method for testing a user's articulation.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention, which comprises a method and system for providing speech therapy. The method comprises the steps of selecting a problem speech sound and searching a database that comprises a plurality of records. Each record comprises a picture and a word associated with the word.
Next a set of records is automatically generated from the plurality of records. Each record contains a word specific to the problem speech's sound. The set of records is next automatically presented to a user sequentially on a display device, and the user is prompted to pronounce the displayed word. Finally, the pronunciation of each word is scored.
The system of the present invention comprises a processor, an input device in communication with the processor having means for selecting a problem speech sound, and a display device in communication with the processor. The database as described above is resident on the processor, as are software means. The software is adapted to automatically generate a set of records from the plurality of records, with each record containing a word specific to the problem speech sound. The software is also adapted to automatically present at least a portion of each record in the set of records to a user sequentially on a display device; the set of records to a user sequentially on the display device and to prompt the user to pronounce the displayed word. Finally, the software is adapted to receive via the input device a score for the pronunciation of each word.
The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4969194 (1990-11-01), Ezawa et al.
patent: 5303327 (1994-04-01), Sturner et al.
patent: 5393236 (1995-02-01), Blackmer et al.
patent: 5487671 (1996-01-01), Shpiro et al.
patent: 5562453 (1996-10-01), Wen
patent: 6009397 (1999-12-01), Siegel
patent: 6019607 (2000-02-01), Jenkins et al.
patent: 6030226 (2000-02-01), Hersh
patent: 6077085 (2000-06-01), Parry et al.
patent: 0 360 909 (1990-04-01), None
patent: 0 504 927 (1992-09-01), None
patent: 1 089 246 (2001-04-01), None
patent: 99/13446 (1999-03-01), None
Bernthal, John, et al. “Articulation and Phonlogical Disorders,” 1998, Allyan & Bacon, 4th Edition, pp. 233-236, 292.*
Jackson, Peter, “Introduction to Expert Systems,” 1999, Addison Wesley Longman Limited, 3rd Edition, pp. 207-210.*
LocuTour Multimedia, Articulation: Therapy for Oral Apraxia, Dysarthria, and Developmental Speech Disorders, http://www.learningfundamentals.com/products/manuals/Artic_I_Cons_Phonemes.pdf.*
Parrot Software User's Manual “Automatic Articulation Analysis 2000,” Parrot Software, Inc.*
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Technology 2000: Clinical Applications for Speech-Language Pathology, http://professional.asha.org/tech_resources/tech2000/7.htm, pp. 1-7, 1996.
PictureGallery, http://www.psychcorp.com/catalogs/sla/sla014atpc.htm, pp. 1-2.
The Childes System, Child Language Data Exchange System, http://childes.psy.cmu.edu.
Additional Childes Tools, CHILDES Windows Tools, http://childes.psy.cmu.edu/html/wintools.html.
SAILS, the Speech Assessment & Interactive Learning System (SAILS™) Using SAILS in Clinical Assessment and Treatment, http://www.propeller.net/react/sails2.htm, pp. 1-3.
GFTA-2: Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2, http://www.agsnet.com/templates/productview_p.asp?GroupID=a11750, pp. 1-3.
KLPA: Khan-Lewis Phonological Analysis, http://www.agsnet.com/templates/productview_p.asp?GroupID=a1820, pp. 1-2.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Speech therapy system and method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Speech therapy system and method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Speech therapy system and method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3208518