Poster: Speech Therapies and Smart Assistants: An interaction paradigm proposal

Speech therapy is a speech therapist’s treatment program to help people affected by language impairments, which are problems and difficulties that concern linguistic abilities. They can be encountered for the most part in children aged from 4 to 8 years old. To adequately address these disorders, for each patient, specific treatment must be defined because of the causes of language impairments. In this field, the role of speech therapists is crucial in analyzing, diagnosing, and treating these speech difficulties and preventing subsequent literacy problems. Traditionally, speech therapies involve methods based on paper and objects, but technology can support professionals and patients by providing remote assistance and more efficient treatment. "E-SpeechT" is a web-based application that aims to meet the above requirements to support and monitor children throughout speech therapies, by embedding concepts of game-based learning and gamification in e-health and telemedicine. This research work aims to explore how this interaction paradigm works and the technical aspects behind its application in the daily lives of families dealing with speech disorders, to understand its strengths and weaknesses, and to provide future improvements