Speech Therapy Animation and imaging Resource (STAR)

言语和语言疗法的训练和练习主要是通过听声音、感觉言语器官的运动和口头描述语音是如何产生的方法来进行的。然而，最近涉及使用隐藏的语音器官运动(例如舌头运动)的视觉信息的研究表明，视觉方法可以改变语音治疗的游戏规则，在多年的常规治疗后提供突破。视觉方法的主要优势之一是，观察隐藏的语音器官的动态成像已被证明是一种更直观的显示目标语音清晰度的方法，特别是对于儿童，避免了对语音器官如何运动的复杂、抽象的描述。使用标准医用超声机的超声舌成像(UTI)已经成为一种很有前途的治疗工具，允许用户查看目标舌头的运动并将其与自己的舌头运动进行比较。磁共振成像提供了更全面的图像，显示了声道的所有部分，但不适合用于日常治疗。成本、培训和可获得性阻碍了这些技术在言语治疗诊所的广泛使用；然而，临床和语音研究人员收集了大量无序和非无序言语的UTI和MRI视频记录。这些是宝贵的培训/治疗资源，但不能以当前形式访问，因为大多数UTI/MRI数据集只能使用昂贵和技术复杂的专家软件查看。UTI和MRI揭示了比通常认为的更多的语音产生策略，因此提供了更多的策略供客户尝试。对言语治疗客户的好处是更好地了解语音产生中的舌头运动和位置，这是一种更直观地了解发声器官运动和视觉输入的方法，对于那些通过视觉演示更有效地学习的人来说特别有用。该项目将创建定制的资源，为言语治疗师的培训和临床使用；言语治疗动画和图像资源(STAR)。来自六个不同临床和非临床语音研究项目的现有声道成像录音将以最易访问的格式和用户友好的界面在网上提供。此外，MRI语音录音将用于创建准确、简化的声道动画，供儿科语音治疗客户在临床和家庭中使用。这些动画将展示发声器官在产生语音时是如何运动的。STAR将由两个网站组成；一个用于语言治疗师的培训、参考和继续专业发展，另一个供儿科客户及其家人在临床和家庭使用。培训网站将包含声道动画以及对UTI和MRI技术以及记录过程的解释。它将包含急需的UTI无序和无序语音视频数据库，显示各种语音错误和障碍，以及各种英语口音的标准语音产生。临床网站将包含清晰和信息丰富的动画，解释声道是如何工作的，并显示不同音节位置的语音产生。它还将包含互动的动画作业练习，以方便诊所的治疗师练习作业的各个方面。STAR将在对远程优质临床教学的需求从未像现在这样大的时候提供这些资源。我们项目的研究重点将是与SLT社区和客户合作，评估如何最好地提供远程和/或混合培训和治疗，以应对当前和后新冠肺炎环境的挑战

Speech and Language Therapy training and practice is dominated by approaches involving listening to sounds, feeling the movements of the speech organs and verbal descriptions of how speech sounds are produced. However, recent research involving use of visual information about hidden speech organ movement in particular (e.g. tongue movement) has shown that visual approaches to speech therapy can be game changing, providing breakthroughs after years of conventional therapy. One of the main advantages of visual approaches is that viewing dynamic imaging of the hidden speech organs has been shown to be a more intuitive method of demonstrating target speech articulations, particularly for children, avoiding complex, abstract descriptions of how speech organs move.Several technologies can be used to reveal the hidden speech organs. Ultrasound Tongue Imaging (UTI), using standard medical ultrasound machines, has emerged as a promising therapy tool, allowing users to view target tongue movements and compare them to their own. Magnetic Resonance Imaging provides a more comprehensive view, showing all parts of the vocal tract, but is not suitable for use in day-to-day therapy. Costs, training and accessibility prevent the general use of these technologies in Speech Therapy clinics; however, clinical and phonetic researchers have collected a large number of UTI and MRI video recordings of both disordered and non-disordered speech. These represent a valuable training/therapeutic resource, but cannot be accessed in their current form, as most UTI/MRI datasets can be viewed only using expensive and technically-sophisticated specialist software. UTI and MRI reveal a greater variety of strategies for speech-sound production than are generally considered, and therefore provide a greater number of strategies for Clients to try. The benefit for Speech Therapy Clients is a better understanding of tongue movement and placement in speech-sound production, a more intuitive means of understanding vocal-organ movement and visual input, which can be particularly useful for those who learn more effectively through visual demonstration. This project will create bespoke resources for Speech Therapists' training and use in Clinic; the Speech Therapy Animation and imaging Resource (STAR). Existing vocal-tract-imaging recordings from six different clinical and non-clinical speech-research projects will be made available online, in the most accessible formats and user-friendly interfaces. Additionally, MRI recordings of speech will be used to create accurate, simplified vocal-tract animations for use by paediatric Speech Therapy Clients, in Clinic and at home. These animations will show how the vocal organs move in the production of speech sounds. STAR will consist of two Web sites; one for Speech Therapists' training, reference and continuing professional development, and the other for use by paediatric Clients and their families, in Clinic, and at home.The training site will contain vocal-tract animations and explanations of UTI and MRI technology and recording processes. It will contain much needed databases of UTI videos of disordered and non-disordered speech, showing a variety of speech-errors and disorders, as well as normative speech-sound production in a variety of English accents. The clinical site will contain clear and informative animations explaining how the vocal tract works and showing speech-sound production in different syllable positions. It will also contain interactive animated homework exercises to facilitate aspects of practise homework set by Therapists in Clinic. STAR will make available these resources at a time when the need for remote quality clinical teaching has never been greater. The research strand of our project will be to work with the SLT community and Clients, to assess how best to deliver remote and/or blended training and therapy, which meets the challenges of the current and post-COVID-19 environment