AI-Enhanced Speech Therapy for School-Age Children with Residual Speech Sound Disorders

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to find out how artificial intelligence AI-assisted home practice can improve learning the r sound for school-age children who have persistent speech sound disorders. The study focuses on children who have difficulty producing this sound and evaluates two different schedules of combining AI-led and human speech-language clinician-led treatments. The AI tool used is designed to detect mispronunciations and provide feedback, potentially increasing access to effective speech therapy despite clinician shortages. Participants receive a total of 5 weekly speech lessons with a human speech-language clinician via telepractice for 5 weeks. In addition, they are assigned to one of two groups one group receives 3 AI-led speech sessions per week concurrently during the same 5 weeks as the human clinician sessions, while the other group receives the 3 AI-led sessions per week after the human clinician sessions have ended. The AI sessions are supervised by a caregiver and use a web-based software that analyzes speech accuracy and adjusts practice difficulty accordingly. During the study, participants will be assessed before treatment, after 5 weeks, and again at 10 weeks to measure changes in their accuracy producing the r sound in both practiced and unpracticed words. Evaluations include blinded listener ratings and surveys on social, emotional, and academic impacts. The study includes telepractice sessions, speech sound analysis, and caregiver involvement. The total study duration for participants is 10 weeks, with careful monitoring of speech improvement and retention.

AI-Assisted Treatment for Residual Speech Sound Disorders