Collaboration funded to develop time-saving technology to help clinicians identify children with developmental language disorder

USA - English

• USA - English

LONDON, Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a condition where children have problems understanding and/or using spoken language. There is no obvious reason for these difficulties, for example, there is no hearing problem or physical disability that explains them.

Children with DLD often go unrecognised and without appropriate support can go on to have significant difficulties with education and social relationships with consequences for their wellbeing. However, access to specialist support and interventions at the right time can make a big difference, and reduce the chances of these negative consequences.

Funded by the National Institute for Health Research's Invention for Innovation programme, specialist technology company Therapy Box is leading a collaboration to take their machine learning based app to the clinic so that speech and language therapists in England and Wales can more quickly assess children's language, supporting them to identify children with DLD and then plan the support that child needs. The game-based app will present an animated story to be retold by children aged four to eight, and the child's spoken story will be analysed to understand how their performance stacks up to age-matched peers from around the country.

The innovative collaboration between Therapy Box, the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit, Newcastle University and three NHS sites in Hackney, Newcastle and Bristol will take place across two years. At the start of the project, the team will be seeking 600 children to record their stories, to help train the app to recognise the children having trouble with their language. In the second year of the project, the app will be put through its paces by speech and language therapists and families coming to clinics for assessment.

"Our aim is to help speech and language therapists evaluate more children in a shorter space of time," project principal investigator Rebecca Bright shares, "The ambition for this project is to help children with DLD get the support they need as soon as possible".

Dr Yvonne Wren from the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit is leading the evaluation of the clinical decision making tool, "The team involved in this project will ensure that we develop a tool which is fit for purpose and has been robustly evaluated, fulfilling the need for evidence-based tools in the assessment of children's language skills."

Dr Cristina Mckean whose team at Newcastle University will be working on the project, adds, "Identifying children with Language Disorder and designing tailored interventions to meet individual children's needs is a highly specialised and time-consuming process. Together with the Speech and Language Therapy Service at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust, I am excited to be part of the team harnessing the potential of technologies to make access to these specialist assessments more time-efficient and informative. In this way, our hope is that more children with Language Disorders can access the support they need to overcome their difficulties and thrive."

"As the Head of Service for a large, busy Speech and Language Therapy Service, I welcome a digital innovation that will support clinicians to quickly identify children with developmental language disorders," adds Geraldine Bates, Head of Service at Bristol Community Health, "This will save precious clinical time, that can be redirected into improving access to therapy."

About Therapy Box
Therapy Box is an award-winning specialist technology team focusing on the use of speech, language and acoustic data for identifying difficulties and monitoring symptoms related to communication disorders. It's co-founder Rebecca Bright was awarded an MBE recognising her contribution to the field and the company, under the guidance of co-founder CEO Swapnil Gadgil, has won two Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation since its launch in 2009.

About Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit
Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU) conducts research and development that aims to improve the care and management of people with speech, language and communication disorders by developing knowledge related to the prevention, management and social consequences of the disorders. The Unit is hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust and is situated in the grounds of Southmead Hospital, Bristol. The team consists of speech & language therapy, psychology and information systems researchers with specialisms in primary language delays, speech sound disorder, cleft palate, complex communication needs and stuttering as well as administrative and technical support.

About Newcastle University
Newcastle University is a research intensive university which exists for the public benefit to advance education, learning and research. Our objective is to build on this core purpose and, in doing so, provide new knowledge and creative solutions that make a positive impact. We aim to work collaboratively with our many external partners to shape brighter futures, grow the economy and champion social justice. Speech and Language Sciences at Newcastle University is a world leading centre for both education and research in speech and language sciences. It was the first UK University to offer an accredited degree in Speech and Language Therapy and continues the tradition of excellence placing collaborative partnerships, research and evidence based practice as central to its mission.

About Bristol Community Health
Bristol Community Health is a Community Interest Company (CIC) and not-for-profit social enterprise providing NHS community healthcare services to people in Bristol and beyond. Bristol Community Health are partners in the Children's Community Health Partnership providing Therapy services, Public Health Nursing and Early Support services to children and young people living in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

About the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR:

• funds, supports and delivers high-quality research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care
• Engages and involves patients, carers and the public in order to improve the reach, quality and impact of research
• Attracts, trains and supports the best researchers to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future
• Invests in world-class infrastructure and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services
• Partners with other public funders, charities and industry to maximise the value of research to patients and the economy

The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. In addition to its national role, the NIHR supports applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries, using UK aid from the UK government.
Award code: NIHR200889

SOURCE Therapy Box