## 1 Introduction  
Prosody plays a crucial role in speech communication, as it encompasses various essential functions, including grouping linguistic units, pausing, word accentuation, and indicating sentence purposes (such as interrogative, imperative, declarative, or exclamatory), as well as conveying emotions and pragmatics [1]. In the field of automatic speech processing, prosody has been examined through various types of predictor variables, including high-performance power features and leverage features [2]. Inadequate control or improper production of prosody can lead to social stigmatization and limit individuals' integration into society [3]. This situation may apply to individuals with intellectual disabilities in general and specifically to those with Down syndrome (DS), as they often face challenges in language control and prosodic expression, with some exceptions [4; 5; 6]. Regarding prosody, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [5] have observed disfluencies such as stuttering and cluttering, as well as difficulties in perceiving, imitating, and spontaneously producing prosodic features. Additionally, [PERSON] et al. [7] have linked certain speech errors to struggles in identifying boundaries between words and sentences. Other work showed that individuals with Down syndrome (DS) may exhibit mixed patterns of speech production, potentially impacting speech intelligibility [8], using perceptual and acoustic evaluation. In a previous work, we conducted perceptual and automatic identification tests based on signal analysis, finding differences between the voices of individuals with DS and typical speakers [9]. Several learning games and software tools have been developed specifically for individuals with intellectual disabilities to enhance specific skills [10; 11; 12; 13]. Voice therapists employ methods to address speech difficulties in individuals with specific speech problems [14]. Some of these methods have been partially implemented as software tools,serving as aids for therapists to work with their patients or enabling patients to engage in supplementary exercises independently [15]. In our previous work [16], we introduced a tool designed to train prosody and pragmatics in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). This tool incorporates a combination of perceptual and production activities within a graphic adventure video game, featuring an adapted interface that considers the unique characteristics of individuals with Down syndrome, such as poor short-term memory [4], attention deficits [17], information integration challenges, and language development deficits [18]. Thus far, the video game has been successfully used by real users, with the support of an adult, such as a therapist, teacher, or family member. The tool has facilitated the collection of a speech corpus consisting of individuals with Down syndrome. The main objective of the research described in this paper is to analyze the potential of these recordings for training an automatic assessment system. In the near future, this system will be incorporated into the video game, allowing users to train independently. A detailed description of the oral activities can be found in [19]. In the existing literature, there have been several studies on the automated evaluation of speech quality in atypical voices [20; 21; 22]. Nevertheless, in computer-assisted pronunciation training, the goal is not just to assess but also to provide information about the underlying reasons behind judgments, whether correct or incorrect. In [8] authors investigated the influence of various components of speech production on speech intelligibility in individuals with DS. In addition, the speech disorders in DS speakers are not uniform, emphasizing the need to consider and address individual variations when developing treatment approaches [23]. In a related study [24], we examined the feasibility of evaluating the oral productions of individuals with DS in terms of quality. We achieved over 90% accuracy in identifying DS speech using an SVM classifier [9].