Developing a novel assistive technology, empowering the deaf to speak, using visual feedback

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Assistive Technology
• Speech Therapy

Background:

• Profoundly deaf individuals, especially children over 5 and adults with no prior hearing, have limited oral speech learning options.
• Deaf individuals primarily use sign language due to the brain's inability to process speech feedback without auditory input.
• This lack of auditory feedback hinders the development of oral speech in deaf populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel assistive technology for oral speech acquisition in deaf individuals.
• To leverage visual feedback for speech development in the absence of auditory feedback.
• To explore the potential of sensory substitution in aiding speech learning for the deaf.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel assistive technology providing real-time visual feedback of speech efforts.
• Utilizing smartphone or computer interfaces for delivering visual speech feedback.
• Hypothesizing that individuals with heightened visual processing skills can utilize this feedback for speech development.

Main Results:

• The assistive technology was tested on 72 deaf individuals (children and adults) in Delhi.
• Participants showed significant progress, developing approximately 18 distinct sounds within 6 months.
• The technology facilitated a transition from producing no vocal sounds to producing a range of sounds.

Conclusions:

• Assistive technology employing sensory substitution offers a promising avenue for oral speech development in deaf populations.
• Visual feedback is a viable alternative to auditory feedback for speech learning in deaf children and adults.
• Further research and development are recommended to refine this technology for broader application.