SBIR-STTR Award

This project is designed to address the gap that exists between recent discoveries in phonological intervention and clinical application during intervention of severe speech disorders. A software program will be developed to help support practitioners' efficient implementation of these important clinical innovations. Specifically, in Phase I, a software tool, Sound Contrasts in Phonology (SCIP) and a user manual, will be developed to be used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in treating speech disorders in children. Feasibility testing of the product with SLPs will follow alpha and beta testing of the software. Phase II will examine the treatment efficacy of the tool. Three regional test sites will be incorporated to assess the feasibility of SCIP and the user manual. A counterbalanced design will be used in two experimental tasks with a mandatory quota of 8 SLPs in each of the three regional sites (N = 24). Feasibility data will be collected in terms of efficiency and accuracy in two experimental tasks that compare SCIP with traditional methods of developing treatment materials and reporting treatment progress. Specifically, quantitative data will be collected in the form of the amount of time it takes to develop treatment materials under two conditions (SCIP vs traditional) and the number of errors to complete each task (a measure of accuracy expressed as a percentage). Analysis of variance employing all the design features of counterbalancing, study participants, and study site, will be applied to each measurement. Qualitative data will also be collected in the form of a questionnaire. The project will potentially have important clinical significance. As proposed, the project will provide a "better, faster, cheaper" approach in the development of intervention materials to increase clinician access to recent innovations in phonological intervention, decrease clinicians' time and effort in developing individualized treatment materials, and potentially have a profound impact on the nature of phonological intervention with significant decreases in the length of time typically required by children with speech disabilities. The commercial potential of SCIP is expected to be high given that there are over 86,000 certified SLPs in the U.S., many of whom serve the 20% of children who exhibit phonological disorders.

Thesaurus Terms:
computer system design /evaluation, phonology, speech therapy DVD /CD ROM, auditory stimulus, computer program /software, information system clinical research, human subject, questionnaire

The Phase II goal for Sound Contrasts in Phonology (SCIP) is to use results from the successful Phase I feasibility study to develop a fully functional intervention software program for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to use with children who have speech disabilities. This project addresses the significant issue of time and access for SLPs to implement newer, more efficacious models of phonological intervention with children. The final product will have a 2,000 word and 2,000+ nonsense word electronic database of illustrations to create individualized treatment materials that support four contrastive phonological treatment models; a video tutorial; an interactive learning assessment; just-in-time support; and a user manual all integrated on a CD-ROM. SLPs at six regional test sites will evaluate the reliability, learnability, and usability of SCIP. A counterbalanced design will be used in two experimental tasks with 8 SLPs at each site (N = 48). Operational reliability will be evaluated in terms of efficiency and accuracy in two experimental tasks that compare SCIP to traditional methods of developing treatment materials and reporting treatment progress. Analysis of variance (counterbalancing SLPs, site, condition) will be applied to each measurement (efficiency and accuracy). Learnability will be evaluated in terms of time it takes SLPs to be competent users of SCIP, using self-training materials, and in terms of a basic level of competency in implementing the contrastive approaches, based on the SLPs' performance on a multiple-choice interactive learning assessment tool. Usability will be evaluated using two 5-point Likert scales that will evaluate ease of use and potential value of SCIP. SCIP is expected to provide a "better, faster, cheaper" approach to developing treatment materials that will increase access to newer models of intervention. These models decrease the time children with severe speech disabilities need to receive phonological intervention. The commercial potential of SCIP is expected to be high, given that there are over 94,000 certified SLPs in the U.S., many of whom serve the 10-15% of the preschool and 6% of the school-age population who exhibit a speech disorder.

Thesaurus Terms:
computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, phonology, sound perception, speech therapy DVD /CD ROM, auditory stimulus, information system clinical research, human subject, questionnaire