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Nurseitova Z, Shayakhmetova A. Speech therapy to overcome dyslexia in primary schoolers. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4686. [PMID: 36949067 PMCID: PMC10033923 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31631-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
This research was aimed to investigate changes in the reading technique and in terms of its semantic charge in primary schoolers diagnosed with dyslexia, which occur as a result of the integrated use of speech therapy techniques. The study was performed between 2016 and 2019 in 6 schools of Moscow and Almaty. It enrolled 194 and 200 children, respectively, who were examined with form I to III inclusive. The study revealed that 13% of children had reading speed disorders; they were constituted group 1. Another 11% had reading comprehension disorders; they constituted group 2. In group 1, by form III, the number of reading repetitions increased twofold. In group 2, the number of children, who read in words and phrases, increased by half; in group 1, it doubled. This research showed clear progress in children with technical dyslexia vs. those with semantic dyslexia. Based on the results, it is possible to develop a methodology for speech therapy techniques that can be suitable not only for speech therapists, but also for primary school teachers, as well as for parents of dyslectic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanar Nurseitova
- Department of Special Pedagogy, Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
| | - Aisulu Shayakhmetova
- Department of Social and Pedagogy, Sh. Ualikhanov Kokshetau University, Kokshetau, Kazakhstan
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Esfandbod A, Rokhi Z, Meghdari AF, Taheri A, Alemi M, Karimi M. Utilizing an Emotional Robot Capable of Lip-Syncing in Robot-Assisted Speech Therapy Sessions for Children with Language Disorders. Int J Soc Robot 2022; 15:165-183. [PMID: 36467283 PMCID: PMC9684761 DOI: 10.1007/s12369-022-00946-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
This study scrutinizes the impacts of utilizing a socially assistive robot, the RASA robot, during speech therapy sessions for children with language disorders. Two capabilities were developed for the robotic platform to enhance children-robot interactions during speech therapy interventions: facial expression communication (containing recognition and expression) and lip-syncing. Facial expression recognition was conducted by training several well-known CNN architectures on one of the most extensive facial expressions databases, the AffectNet database, and then modifying them using the transfer learning strategy performed on the CK+ dataset. The robot's lip-syncing capability was designed in two steps. The first step was concerned with designing precise schemes of the articulatory elements needed during the pronunciation of the Persian phonemes (i.e., consonants and vowels). The second step included developing an algorithm to pronounce words by disassembling them into their components (including consonants and vowels) and then morphing them into each other successively. To pursue the study's primary goal, two comparable groups of children with language disorders were considered, the intervention and control groups. The intervention group attended therapy sessions in which the robot acted as the therapist's assistant, while the control group only communicated with the human therapist. The study's first purpose was to compare the children's engagement while playing a mimic game with the affective robot and the therapist, conducted via video coding. The second objective was to assess the efficacy of the robot's presence in the speech therapy sessions alongside the therapist, accomplished by administering the Persian Test of Language Development, Persian TOLD. According to the first scenario, playing with the affective robot is more engaging than playing with the therapist. Furthermore, the statistical analysis of the study's results indicates that participating in robot-assisted speech therapy (RAST) sessions enhances children with language disorders' achievements in comparison with taking part in conventional speech therapy interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Esfandbod
- Social and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory, Center of Excellence in Design, Robotics, and Automation (CEDRA), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zeynab Rokhi
- Social and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory, Center of Excellence in Design, Robotics, and Automation (CEDRA), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali F. Meghdari
- Social and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory, Center of Excellence in Design, Robotics, and Automation (CEDRA), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- Fereshtegaan International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Taheri
- Social and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory, Center of Excellence in Design, Robotics, and Automation (CEDRA), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Minoo Alemi
- Social and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory, Center of Excellence in Design, Robotics, and Automation (CEDRA), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Humanities, West Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
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Puglisi A, Caprì T, Pignolo L, Gismondo S, Chilà P, Minutoli R, Marino F, Failla C, Arnao AA, Tartarisco G, Cerasa A, Pioggia G. Social Humanoid Robots for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of Modalities, Indications, and Pitfalls. CHILDREN 2022; 9:children9070953. [PMID: 35883937 PMCID: PMC9316169 DOI: 10.3390/children9070953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Robot-assisted therapy (RAT) is a promising area of translational neuroscience for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). It has been widely demonstrated that this kind of advanced technological tool provides a reliable and efficient intervention for promoting social skills and communication in children with ASD. This type of treatment consists of a human-assisted social robot acting as an intervention mediator to increase competence and skills in children with ASD. Several social robots have been validated in the literature; however, an explicit technical comparison among devices has never been performed. For this reason, in this article, we provide an overview of the main commercial humanoid robots employed for ASD children with an emphasis on indications for use, pitfalls to be avoided, and recent advances. We conclude that, in the near future, a new generation of devices with high levels of mobility, availability, safety, and acceptability should be designed for improving the complex triadic interaction among teachers, children, and robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfio Puglisi
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
| | - Tindara Caprì
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
- Department of Life and Health Sciences, Link Campus University, Via del Casale di S. Pio V, 44, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Stefania Gismondo
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
| | - Paola Chilà
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
| | - Roberta Minutoli
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
| | - Flavia Marino
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
| | - Chiara Failla
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
| | - Antonino Andrea Arnao
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
| | - Gennaro Tartarisco
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
| | - Antonio Cerasa
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
- S’Anna Institute, 88900 Crotone, Italy;
- Pharmacotechnology Documentation and Transfer Unit, Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Health Science and Nutrition, University of Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Giovanni Pioggia
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy; (A.P.); (T.C.); (S.G.); (P.C.); (R.M.); (F.M.); (C.F.); (A.A.A.); (G.T.); (G.P.)
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