Seeking children 8-18 years with mild to severe dysarthria or speech difficulty to participate in online study.
Led by Dr. Petra Karlsson, CPA Research Institute’s Technology Program Lead, the “My Voice Library” project is a world-first platform that uses gamification to collect voice and orofacial (mouth and face) data from children with cerebral palsy to assist the development of future communication aids.
More than 50% of people with cerebral palsy (CP) experience difficulties in speaking and being understood – a condition known as dysarthria. There is a lack of quality data on the voices of children with CP that has created barriers to developing assistive technology.
My Voice Library aims to change that by creating a repository of voice data that can be used by biomedical engineers, speech pathologists, and researchers to assist in shaping the future of communications for children and adults through AI and other communication technologies.
This platform is designed to be engaging and accessible for children, turning the data collection process into a fun and interactive experience. Developed in collaboration with Kablamo, the project won a prestigious Good Design Award in 2023 for its user-friendly and innovative design.
The My Voice Library team is now actively seeking school-aged children (8-18 years) with any mild to severe dysarthria or a speech difficulty (with or without a diagnosis) to participate in this groundbreaking online study.
Through a series of gamified modules, participants will be invited to explore themed worlds, level up, and record a variety of sounds, words, and sentences. Participants need to complete the study that takes approximately 2-3 hours over a 2-3 week period.
“My Voice Library is unique – it’s the first time we’ve been able to systematically collect voice samples from children with dysarthric speech,” said Dr. Karlsson.
“The gamified modules make it easier and more enjoyable for children to participate, which in turn provides the repetitions of sounds and words needed for engineers and researchers to develop and test new technology,” she added.
By taking part in this study, your child will be contributing to a project that has the potential to transform communication for children with CP. While there are no direct benefits to participants, the data collected will be invaluable in helping researchers develop more effective and accessible communication tools in the future. As a token of appreciation, each participating child will receive a $100 e-gift card upon completing all activities.
Your child’s participation in My Voice Library could play a crucial role in shaping the future of communication technology for children with cerebral palsy.
To learn more about how to get involved or to sign up for the study, please email your child’s name, age and your mobile number to Dr. Petra Karlsson: pkarlsson@cerebralpalsy.org.au, Program Lead Technology, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, The University of Sydney.
