Enhancing speech adaptation to a palatal perturbation using ultrasound visual biofeedback

Abstract

Prior clinical studies suggest that visual biofeedback of the tongue (e.g., ultrasound) may enhance the treatment of speech disorders, but outcomes have been mixed, likely due to variability in both the clinical profiles of participants and the way in which treatments have been carried out. Understanding the true potential of this clinical tool requires a clearer sense of how visual biofeedback interacts with speech motor control. Here, we present a novel experimental approach that mimics the conditions of clinical treatment for speech disorders while maintaining a high level of consistency and control over the speech-learning task. The procedure involves altering the vocal tract of typically developing talkers using a palatal prosthesis to perturb /s/-production in combination with the controlled application of ultrasound biofeedback. As participants practice and improve their speech, changes in articulatory movements are examined using acoustic and kinematic measures. The present study compared a control group (n = 10) receiving only auditory feedback during speech practice with a group receiving visual biofeedback (n = 10). Results indicate an effect of biofeedback, in particular in the retention of learned motor patterns, indicating that talkers integrate real-time visual feedback of tongue movement into the sensorimotor processes driving speech adaptation.Prior clinical studies suggest that visual biofeedback of the tongue (e.g., ultrasound) may enhance the treatment of speech disorders, but outcomes have been mixed, likely due to variability in both the clinical profiles of participants and the way in which treatments have been carried out. Understanding the true potential of this clinical tool requires a clearer sense of how visual biofeedback interacts with speech motor control. Here, we present a novel experimental approach that mimics the conditions of clinical treatment for speech disorders while maintaining a high level of consistency and control over the speech-learning task. The procedure involves altering the vocal tract of typically developing talkers using a palatal prosthesis to perturb /s/-production in combination with the controlled application of ultrasound biofeedback. As participants practice and improve their speech, changes in articulatory movements are examined using acoustic and kinematic measures. The present study compared a contro...