Teaching speech to the deaf using computer‐assisted instruction

Abstract

At the 98th meeting of the Acoustical Society, we presented a preliminary report on a recently developed computer‐based speech training aid for the deaf [Lippmann and Watson, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Suppl. 1 66, S13 (1979)]. The aid evaluates a child's utterances using a template comparison similar to that used in speaker‐dependent word recognition schemes. Characteristics determined from a real‐time acoustic analysis of a child's utterance are compared to those of a previously recorded intelligible utterance. The aid is being evaluated in a systematic speech training program with a group of deaf children, 8 to 14 years of age. This report will present preliminary data on the initial clinical trials with the aid. The data indicate that the aid is at least as effective as a teacher in performing the speech drills under study. The children have learned to interpret the feedback, enjoy using the computer, and even after six months of intensive training, remain highly motivated to perform the computerized speech ...