A Virtual Therapist for Speech and Language Therapy.
A virtual therapist (VT) capable of modeling visible speech and directing speech and language therapy is presented. Three perspectives of practical and clinical use are described. The first is a description of treatment and typical roles that the VT performs in directing participation, practice and performance. The second is a description of techniques for modeling visible speech and implementing tele-rehabilitation. The third is an analysis of performance of a system (AphasiaRx™) for delivering speech and language therapy to people with aphasia, with results presented from a randomized controlled cross-over study in which the VT provided two levels of cuing. Compared to low cue treatment, high cue treatment resulted in 2.3 times faster learning. The paper concludes with a discussion of the benefits of speech and language therapy delivered by the VT.
University of Colorado Boulder, Institute of Cognitive Science, Boulder, CO.
Sarel
S
van Vuuren
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Denver, CO.
Leora R
LR
Cherney
Virtual agents; aphasia treatment; speech and language therapy; speech animation; tele-care; tele-rehabilitation; virtual therapists