Design of an intelligent system for speech monitoring and treatment of low and excessive vocal intensity

Abstract

A number of people, and especially children, suffer from speech problems such as vocal intensity that is too low or is often excessive, and this is one of the behavioral problems that may be encountered in people with an intellectual disability. It may also occur alongside aggressive behavior which produces disturbances, and which is objected to by others. People with this behavior may often be unaware of their problem. To limit these negative outcomes, an intelligent system has been designed to monitor speech intensity outside the clinic, to provide the patient with information, and to control the treatment of excessive or low vocal intensity without the need for continuous therapeutic follow-up in a speech pathology clinic. The use of this intelligent system proves to be effective because of its many features. The technical design considerations, the system features, and a system evaluation will be discussed. © 2010 International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics (ISAROB).