Speech and Language Technologies Applied to Reading Disabilities

From HLT@INESC-ID

Abstract

Learning to read is a long-term process that starts at a very young age and usually results in acquired automatism and fluency while reading. However, some children never reach the level of skill expected for their age. Reading disabilities are the most common among children with learning disorders and, if not addressed, may lead to communication, emotional, and academic issues. Fortunately, speech therapy is a good opportunity to enhance a child’s reading skills. With the help of technology, children can have an accessible and reliable way to complement their therapy, whether it concerns speech assessment or practice. The purpose of this project is to develop a speech therapy tool aimed at European Portuguese children with reading disabilities that combines gamification and automatic speech recognition and validation.

This work was done in collaboration with the Neurodevelopment and Child and Adolescent Behavior Center of the Luz Hospital in Lisbon (en) (pt).

Links

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Contact

Alberto Abad