The Role of Customization in Supporting Speech Therapy: the Case of e-SpeechT

Speech therapy is the medical field in which speech impairments are treated. It mainly concerns the inability of people to adequately enunciate words, to construct and elaborate appropriate sentences when speaking, and generally lack linguistic skills. This research work presents a software system, called e-SpeechT, supporting speech therapies performed in presence and remotely from both physicians’ side and other actors involved in the therapies, i.e., patients, caregivers, and also teachers, schools, etc. The study explores the requirements and functionalities with respect to customization elements and how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support all parties involved in the process in performing their tasks. The system was designed and developed following the participatory design focusing on the different roles, experiences, and demands of the involved end users and inviting them to contribute from different perspectives.