A Nonverbal Recognition Method to Assist Speech

Abstract

For people with speech disorders, language therapies usually employ speech exercises performed at home, without close specialized supervision. There are fundamental movements to train speech ability called NonVerbal Praxis (NVP). These movements include blows and tongue snaps, which develop both the neuromotor capacities of people with apraxia and the pronunciation of phonemes. However, current research on NVP recognition has employed standard speech recognition techniques without much success. This paper describes a method to identify NVP under field conditions. The method covers the input audio signal segmentation until the audio segments are classified and scored. Our method was experimented with, and NVP sounds were efficiently classified, which helped guide patients and therapists through home therapy. It also provides valuable information for speech-language professionals to evaluate the patient s therapeutic performance.