Voice Assistants for Speech Therapy

Abstract

Many individuals with speech disorders are unable to access speech therapies due to a lack of trained professionals and available resources. To address this issue, there has been an increased focus on using eHealth technologies for remote therapy delivery. For example, there exists a number of mobile applications that aim to deliver different speech therapy exercises (e.g., listening to an audio prompt and repeating it). However, current approaches often are not able to provide personalized feedback or adapt to users' unique needs. Such limitations can impede skill development for practical communications. Furthermore, the current approaches might not support therapeutic alliance - a key factor in determining speech therapy outcomes. In this challenge paper, we explore how voice assistants (VAs) can potentially enable remote delivery of speech therapies at scale. We also describe design challenges that need to be addressed before VAs can be used to deliver speech therapies.