An infant-friendly wearable ultrasound-based system to map and analyze tongue movements

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The proposed equipment will support NSERC-funded research programs and collaborations that are working to understand the development of speech communication during infancy. The requested items will be assembled to create a wearable device to map (record) and measure tongue movements in infants using ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound imaging is well established as a safe, non-invasive and effective tool for mapping tongue movements which are critical for producing speech sounds, but which remain largely out of view. It is routinely used to study articulation in adults and school-age children but, sadly, not at all with infants because available US devices are much too large for use with babies. However, with recent advances in ultrasound technology, the essential components for building a workable system are now available, and with requisite technical expertise, can be configured to form an infant-friendly device that is small, light, and easy for a baby to wear. In this proposal we request the elements to assemble an infant-friendly device for mapping tongue movements. Our research team will use the new device to gain novel, fundamental knowledge about how speech oral motor skills emerge in infancy. We will also examine tongue movements while infants process speech signal to understand how these behaviours are related. This is important because it allows us to study speech perception and production the way they naturally evolve - as integrated, interconnected processes. We will also integrate the new device with existing equipment to track tongue movements as part of a synchronous multi-channel data stream that includes audio and video records along with other physiological signals (heart rate, respiration, EEG).  Including tongue movements in the data stream is essential for investigating speech development which involves complex and highly coordinated behavioural and physiological activities. The new device will create a very rich and unique research training context for students to build knowledge and expertise related to basic processes or clinical populations. This tool will be a game-changer; the research made possible by this new tool will provide leaps in our understanding of speech development during infancy. We can also leverage this new tool to examine tongue movements during feeding, providing an opportunity to assess theoretical clams concerning the common physiological mechanism and neural circuits the underlie early feeding and speech development.