Aster Publications

All the manuscripts published by ‘Journal of Communication Disorders and Assistive Technology’ undergo rapid, quality, and quick review processing by eminent editorial and review teams maintaining high standards and ethics of publishing. The scholarly content published online will be freely available to every reader anywhere in the world to read, download, copy, reuse and distribute, provided that the original work is properly cited.

Article (s)

Volume 2, Issue 1 J Commun Disorder Assist Technol 2018  2:1

Case Report: DAF as Instrumental Treatment for Stuttering in Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Report

Carmichael CM

Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) increases fluency in many persons who stutter. Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) present with voice and speech changes with some experiencing stuttering as an effect of the disease. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the use of DAF in a male who acquired stuttering associated with PD. The 79-year-old wore a DAF device during 2 hours per week of speech therapy for 3 months. Results from this study show DAF during speech therapy increased fluency by nearly 20% and decreased dysfluency duration by almost 3 seconds. 

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Research- The Effect of Voice Gender and Spoken Messages in Augmented Interactions

Lapham K, and Seale J

A speech-generating device is often implemented to aid communication for those with limited ability to produce mouth speech. Although these devices have come a long way since their initial development, there are still pervasive problems regarding augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology. These problems include communication rate, the intelligibility of the synthesized voice, and the effectiveness of the synthesized speech to transfer information for a variety of interactions. Additionally, the device is responsible for portraying unique information about the augmented speaker, including their competence, individuality, and identity. This study investigated the impact of computer-generated voice output in routine social interactions. Using an AAC application and an iPad, the primary investigator approached 6 novel communication partners under 3 speech output conditions: female, male, and speech-off. Findings suggest a minimal effect on gendered speech output. Interestingly, results indicate that the speech-off condition may be more efficient for information-seeking interactions. More research is needed on synthesized voices to address these issues and determine future directions for AAC technology.

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Research- The Effects of the “Speak with Intent” Instruction for Individuals With Parkinson’s Disease

June S. Levitt and Delaina Walker-Batson

The goal of the present study was to examine the changes in the quality of the voice signals and the perception of Quality of Life (QOL) of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) as a result of the “Speak with Intent” instruction of the SPEAK OUT!® treatment program for PD. The SPEAK OUT!® program utilizes an instruction as “Speak with Intent” combined with a group therapy program called LOUD Crowd® that follows the one-on-one SPEAK OUT!® program to maintain improved verbal communication. Twenty-three individuals with PD participated in one of the two conditions. Seventeen participants were in the Treatment group, and six participants were in the Control group. Each participant’s voice was recorded four times over the 12-week research period at equal intervals. Outcome measures included (1) the mean vocal intensity from passage reading, (2) Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPPS), (3) Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI), and (4) Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL). The group differences were contrasted as a between- subject factor. The changes over time were examined as a within-subject factor. The participants in the Treatment group showed statistically significant main effects of the pre- and post-treatment measurements in all aspects. The participants in the Control group showed minor or no changes over the 12-week research period. The “Speak with Intent” instruction resulted in improved vocal intensity, voice signals, and perception of the Quality of Life.

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