Graeme Clark Collection
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ItemArticulation accuracy of children using an electrotactile speech processor( 1995)Objective: Use of wearable tactile speech perception devices is suggested to help overcome the difficulties in speech production resulting from severe and profound hearing impairment in children. This suggestion is based on the assumption that subjects can use tactile input in isolation, or in combination with information from residual aided hearing, to monitor and modify their speech. The present study evaluated the benefits to articulation provided through use of a multichannel electrotactile device (“Tickle Talker™”). Design: Six profoundly hearing-impaired children were videotaped speaking with the Tickle Talker on and with the Tickle Talker off during conversations with their audiologist. Five of the subjects also wore their binaural hearing aids during all recorded conversations. The number of vowels, consonants, and overall phonemes correctly articulated by each child in the two conditions were compared. Results: One subject improved articulation of initial consonants and initial phonemes; one subject improved articulation of total vowels, total consonants, initial consonants, total phonemes, and initial phonemes; and a third subject improved articulation of total vowels and medial phonemes. Conclusions: Use of on-line tactile feedback from the Tickle Talker may benefit the articulation accuracy of some children, and the device may therefore be suitable to use with children who have not responded to more traditional speech training techniques.
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ItemImproved electrotactile speech processor: Tickle Talker( 1995)The Tickle Talker, an eight-channel electrotactile speech processor, has been developed from continuing research at the University of Melbourne. 'The development of the device has focused on production of reliable speech-processing hardware, design of cosmetically and ergonometrically acceptable electrode transducers, implementation of acute and chronic biomedical studies demonstrating device safety, design and testing of alternative speech-encoding strategies to provide benefit to speech perception and production, and design and testing of appropriate training methods for optimizing benefits. The Tickle Talker has been shown to provide benefits in supplementing lipreading or aided residual hearing for hearing-impaired adults and children. Improvements in speech processing have resulted in an increase in benefits to speech perception, and open the way for more flexible approaches to encoding speech input. Continuing development of the electrode circuitry has now produced a device that is robust and has an extended battery life. Safety studies have clearly demonstrated that there are no long-term contraindications to device use. The results suggest that the device has a role to play in rehabilitation programs for severely and profoundly hearing-impaired adults and children.
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ItemUse of a multichannel electrotactile speech processor by profoundly hearing-impaired children in a total communication environment( 1991)As part of a larger subject group, four profoundly hearing-impaired children enrolled in a total communication educational program were fitted with the University of Melbourne's multichannel electrotactile speech processor (Tickle Talker). Sound detection thresholds for pure tones were at lower levels with the tactile device than with hearing aids, especially for high frequency sounds above 2 kHz. Two of the children also detected all speech sounds of the Ling five-sound test at normal conversational levels using only the Tickle Talker. The children were able to use tactile input to achieve higher scores on three speech feature subtests of the PLOTT test when using the Tickle Talker plus hearing aids as compared to hearing aids alone. Mean improvements were 22.4 percent on vowel length, 28 percent on vowel identification, and 35 percent on consonant manner. Improvements were also shown by individual children on the closed-set WIPI and open-set PBK word tests, and on the open-set BKB sentence test, when the Tickle Talker was combined with hearing aids, and with hearing aids and lipreading. Comparisons of these results with those of children using the Tickle Talker in other educational settings show that children in a total communication environment can potentially benefit to a similar degree from use of tactual input. Anecdotal reports from the children and school staff members indicated that daily use of the Tickle Talker did not interfere with the signing aspects of total communication.
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ItemPerception of amplitude envelope variations of pulsatile electrotactile stimuli( 1990)Abstract not available due to copyright.
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ItemPreliminary evaluation of a wearable multichannel electrotactile speech processor [Abstract]( 1988)Speech discrimination testing, using both open-and closed-set materials was carried out with four severely-to-profoundly hearing impaired adults. and seven normally hearing subjects, to assess performance of a wearable eight-channel electrotactile aid (Tickle Talker). The device consisted of a handset composed of nine electrodes, a stimulator-unit, and a speech processor and input microphone. Eight small electrodes were located over the digital nerve bundles on each side of the four fingers of one hand, and a larger common electrode was placed on the wrist. Subjects perceived eight separate channels of information, each corresponding to a stimulus on one side of one finger. The speech processor provided estimates of second formant frequency, fundamental frequency and amplitude of the speech waveform. These features were coded as electrode position, pulse rate and pulse width respectively. This processing strategy (FOF2AO) is similar to that used in an earlier model of the Cochlear Pty. Ltd. cochlear implant.
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ItemPreliminary evaluation of a multichannel electrotactile speech processor( 1988)Abstract not available due to copyright.