I agree with you Julia. The only option I could envision for the declining dysarthria with ALS is for the PALS to continue to re-program their voice if the software doesn’t
recognize it.
I hope that professionals that may recommend this would also talk about AAC at the same time. I feel it’s important for PALS to know this will work for only so long then
we will need another communication system in place.
Alisa
Alisa Brownlee, ATP
Manager, Assistive Technology Services
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Association, National Office and Greater Philadelphia Chapter
Office line: 215-631-1877
Business Cell: 610-812-0361
Twitter: alsassistivetec
Facebook: Alisa Brownlee ALS
From: xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com [mailto:xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com]
On Behalf Of McCaffrey, Julia
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2015 4:46 PM
To: <xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com>
Subject: Re: Talkitt
A rep from VoiceITT visited our clinic a while back. It does sound quite cool, but the website/promotional materials may be overselling it just a bit.
The way I understand it, you "train" their software to recognize the way you say a particular phrase. So if I say "werter pluz" for "water please", I train the device to recognize that specific pronunciation for that specific phrase.
I'm worried it may not work so well for the ALS population due to the continuous progressive changes with their speech. Individuals with more stable dysarthria could be perfect candidates for it, though it will still require lots of customization
and programming (recording your specific speech pattern for each phrase).
Anybody actually try it with a client yet? I will be eager to hear how well the software works for the severely dysarthric (CP, etc)
Julia
On Jun 30, 2015, at 1:29 PM, "Alisa Brownlee" <xxxxxx@alsa-national.org> wrote:
Sharing an article on app called Talkitt since it’s been in the news lately.
http://www.betaboston.com/news/2014/08/04/talkitt-hopes-to-bridge-the-chasm-of-language-disability/
Alisa
Alisa Brownlee, ATP
Manager, Assistive Technology Services
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Association, National Office and Greater Philadelphia Chapter
Office line: 215-631-1877
Business Cell: 610-812-0361
Twitter: alsassistivetec
Facebook: Alisa Brownlee ALS
IMPORTANT WARNING: This message is intended for the use of the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged and confidential,
the disclosure of which is governed by applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution
or copying of this information is strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.