Video Assisted Speech Technology to Enhance Motor Planning for Speech
Condition: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Apraxia of Speech
MeSH terms: Apraxias; Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Nearly 3.5 million Americans are diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a
      communication disorder that causes skill limitations in the areas of language acquisition,
      sensory integration, and behavior. This lack of functional language ability limits
      conversation to its most basic parts, making daily tasks difficult for minimally to
      non-verbal individuals to achieve. iTherapy is developing the VAST platform, a personalized
      educational experience for students with ASD by creating a virtual reality-based
      video-modeling program to stimulate engagement and speech production practice, ultimately
      providing those with ASD an opportunity to enhance their quality of life by increasing their
      speech abilities which will enable them to build social networks and handle the events of
      daily life.
    

Detailed description: 
      Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental communication disorder resulting in
      functional language and behavioral delays affecting over 3.5 million Americans. These delays
      vary with the severity of symptoms that present in ASD but often result in limited speech and
      increased communication challenges. Alongside linguistic acquisition, oral motor coordination
      is a crucial part of speech production.

      Current clinical techniques have shown varying degrees of efficacy in improving functional
      language proficiency. Most techniques follow a drill-like procedure, where the child is made
      to repeat various sounds and phrases until they are retained. However, such a process
      requires potentially over twenty therapy sessions to show improvement which may then only be
      focused on one aspect of speech. This significantly limits the linguistic and social skills a
      student will acquire. To improve the efficacy of these therapy sessions, new technology must
      be developed to provide the most effective educational experience.

      Video-assisted speech technology (VAST) is a method of using a video of a close-up model of
      the mouth and speaking simultaneously with it. Rather than present the individual with a
      static photograph of the initial phoneme, the entire sequence of oral movements can be
      presented sequentially via video-recorded segments of the orofacial area producing connected
      speech, combining best practices, video modeling, and literacy with auditory cues to provide
      unprecedented support the development of vocabulary, word combinations and communication.

      In this SBIR Phase I proposal, iTherapy will develop a personalized educational experience
      for students with ASD by creating a virtual reality (VR) based VAST program to stimulate
      engagement and speech production practice. VR offers several benefits as a therapy technique:
      overcoming sensory difficulties, more effectively generalizing information, employing visual
      learning, and providing individualized treatment. As a user moves through the stages of the
      program, they will be immersed in a proactive environment where they will engross themselves
      with continuous content.

      Rather than present the individual with a static photograph of the initial phoneme, the
      entire sequence of oral movements can be presented sequentially via VR-modelled segments of
      the orofacial area producing connected speech, combining best practices, video modeling,
      music therapy, and literacy with auditory cues to provide unprecedented support the
      development of vocabulary, word combinations and communication. The innovation will be a
      video series of a realistic VR mouth which will require the use of an app on a tablet or a
      smartphone, VR goggles, and bone conduction headphones.
    

Intervention name(s): Video Assisted Speech Therapy (VAST)
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Six children with ASD, between the ages of 4 and 8, participated in a 14-sessions-long study that utilized the VR-integrated and the tablet-based VAST application. Three subjects received a 3D VR-integrated, bone conduction VAST prototype, while the remaining group of three received a tablet with a 2D version of the software. Sessions were held twice a week with each lasting approximately 15 minutes (i.e. +/- 5 minutes).
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Six children with ASD, between the ages of 4 and 8, were recruited to participate in a 12-sessions-long study that utilized the Video-Assisted Speech Therapy (VAST) application. The participants were divided into two groups: one which received the VR-integrated prototype, and one that received a 2D application on a tablet. Each session was approximately 15 minutes long (+/- 5 minutes), occurring twice per week.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: autism; apraxia; speech therapy; speech pathology; nonverbal