But therapists are unable to supervise sufficient sessions to be fully effective, meaning patients must also practise at home. This requires heaps of self-discipline for the patient, who doesn t gain the feedback the therapist can provide. Used independently at home, they can make a considerable contribution to the effectiveness of a therapist s initial input. Furthermore, it is expected that patients who have no previous experience of using a computer, will be able to acquire a new skill at a time when many of their lifelong skills are threatened, thereby increasing their confidence. The grant includes the full-time salary of research speech and language therapist, Corinne Dobinson, who will be based at the Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit and will work closely with the software design and evaluation trials.
Computers can help with motivation, empowering the patient and keeping the therapy interesting.
This is a very exciting project and, in time, we hope the system will be introduced into mainstream speech and language therapy. Methods that improve intelligibility can assist relationships and the quality of life for all involved. ISDN facilities are available.