Speechmag

Voice banking to preserve the freedom of speech

More on voice banking, a subject I posted on a year ago when Laurence Brewer was interviewed for Radio 4’s Word of Mouth. This time there was a Scottish flavour to another Radio 4 programme ‘Giving the Critic Back His Voice’, presented by Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross.

Mike Arnott - who is originally from Belfast but now lives in Aberdeen – is 45 and has motor neurone disease. He was referred to speech and language therapist Karen Yuill at a time when he had no speech difficulties to explore possibilities for voice banking. Like Laurence, his goal was primarily to ensure his children would still be able to hear him as him in the event of him losing his speech and voice as the disease progressed. As he says, “How you sound is so much of who you are.”

Karen explains that she had to go away and do a bit of reading and, “We kind of explored the whole thing together really”. Initially this was via ModelTalker, which was straightforward but left Mike a little disappointed.

The next port of call was Edinburgh based company CereProc. They specialise in characterful speech synthesis, and created a text-to-speech voice for film critic Roger Ebert from his recorded documentaries when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The process adopted for Mike involves software recording thousands of phrases and sentences based on phonetic coverage so that all speech sounds can be captured in a way that will make the synthesis sound as natural as possible.

The programme explores the difficulty for synthetic voices in conveying emotions and feelings adequately, including humour, boldness, fear, anger, excitement and joy. Joanna Courtney from CALL Scotland is interviewed about CereProc’s female Scottish voice ‘Heather’, as is Louise Smith whose 19 year old daughter Leanna has Worster-Drought Syndrome. She has been excited to get the Heather voice for her communication aid as it sounds “so normal”.

Michael Arnott says that after the months of recording there was “a hesitation pressing the play button just in case I’d be disappointed – but I certainly wasn’t.” Most importantly, his 8 year old immediately said, “'That’s you daddy!' And I was so pleased because all of that’s been part of the goal...they still hear me as me.”

You can download Scottish voices from the CereProc website. The programme is available for a limited period on BBC iPlayer.

'Benefit finding' and coping with head and neck cancer

ENT & Audiology News for Nov/Dec 2010 includes a summary review (p.132) of Morwenna White-Thomson's article 'How I support TEP closure: an open and shut case?' from the Autumn 10 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice.

The Nov/Dec issue of ENT & Audiology News also contains a thought-provoking article by Sandy Cavell (pp.49-50), 'Head and Neck Cancer: quality of life and beyond.'

Sandy is a Health Psychologist in New Zealand. As she says, "quality of life assessment and further information on psychological factors are important in enabling the clinician to improve communication with the patient, to ensure there is a more informed choice regarding treatment options and that better health outcomes are achieved" (p.49).  

Health professionals are increasingly recognising the importance of qualities such as resilience, so I was particularly interested in her comments on 'benefit finding' and its positive association with effective coping strategies. Examples of benefit finding were where the person's experience "caused them to think differently about their relationships with family and friends, altered their worldview and their prioritising of life issues" (p.49).

Between its print publication and online presence, ENT & Audiology News says it aims to offer "an invaluable forum for the communication of news and information from every aspect of ENT and audiology". For subscription rates and offers, contact Pinpoint Scotland Ltd, tel. 0131 557 4184.

Autumn 10 issue now out!

The Autumn 10 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice was mailed on Friday. (My own copy hasn't made it to Scotland yet, but I know some people got theirs as early as Saturday!)

It includes:

• our new series to help you with critical appraisal of the literature
• teaching indirect interaction techniques to education staff
• working with people with aphasia in a community arts venue
• scaffolding opportunities for silent bilingual children to speak out
• How I support TEP (tracheoesophageal puncture) closure
• complementary therapy - exploring our boundaries
• my top resources for working outside the NHS
• what's hot and what's not: book, resource and software reviews
• In Brief - chewing in children with mild cerebral palsy
• Here's one I made earlier - the menu game
• Editor's choice - adolescents, aphasia, intergroup contact
• win our free reader offer for The Communication Toolkit

New subscribers always receive an extra issue FREE in their first year.

Spring 10 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice out now

The courier has just been to take the authors' copies of the Spring 10 issue which means mailing is now complete. Spring 10 includes the first of a new ethics series considering everyday events which need to be on our ethical radar screen. In 'Brought to (Face)book', Jois Stansfield and Frances McAleer think through some of the implications of social networking for speech and language therapists.

As well as reviews, reader offers and Editor's Choice, other content includes:

• adductor spasmodic dysphonia - the case for speech and language therapy (not Botox)
• using the East Kent Outcome System in community stroke teams
• Talking Mats facilitate an accurate mental state assessment
• Clifford Hughes' personal story of rediscovering his voice after a laryngectomy
• a debate on the value of cognitive therapy in dementia
• resources from the 'Every Child a Talker' programme
• training early years practitioners to teach attention and listening skills
• suitable books for working with small groups of children in education settings
• Here's one I made earlier with a dating theme
• in brief (choice of words; accessible information; direct therapy).

Hopefully all UK readers will receive their copies by the end of this week, with the air mail ones not taking much longer, and you can get reading! 

Holography as phonetics teaching resource

In the Winter 09 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice, we report on the development of a student teaching resource which could become a useful tool for speech and language therapists.

Pip Cornelius, a lecturer in phonetics and phonology at De Montfort University, has worked with Professor Martin Richardson who specialises in holography to produce the 3D visualisations of different sounds. Here are 3 examples (uploaded to You Tube by kind permission of De Montfort University).

 

 

 

 

 

Kenyan laryngectomee workshop appeal

Speech & Language Therapy in Practice member Emma Shah has forwarded an appeal for funds from the Kenya Association of Laryngectomees to enable a unique residential workshop to take place in November/December.

The organisation is looking for kes.220,000 (just under £2000). This will cover the cost of boarding facilities for one week, lecture materials, transport and counselling. All other professionals, including Emma, give their time and expertise for free.

Although there is a monthly meeting of the group in Nairobi, distance and transport costs prevent many people from attending. At least 20 laryngectomees will participate and, if funds allow, there will be a session for spouses and carers.

Organising Secretary Bishop Duncan Mbogo Wanjigi's enthuasiasm is infectious. He says, "The Kenya Association of Laryngectomees is committed to creating awareness of the existence of the voiceless but not speechless persons in Kenya and that laryngectomy is not the end of life - life continues!"

The Bishop says cheques made payable to 'KENYA ASSOCIATION OF LARYNGECTOMEES' can be mailed to Kenya Association of Laryngectomees, Town House, 4th Floor Room 412, Kaunda Street, Box 42086-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. Alternatively money can be paid into the Association's account at Equity Bank Ltd, Thika Branch, Account # 0340-291602170.