Implementation of Digital Avatars as Part of Home-Based Speech and Language Therapy for Deaf Children or Children With Specific Learning Disorders: Parents and Siblings Perceptions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61989/by9s0c98Keywords:
digital avatars, speech therapy, implementation, health education, specific learning disorder, hearing lossAbstract
Context. In their AVI-Corse research project, the authors are testing the possibility of implementing animated digital talking heads as language aids in the family home. The under-representation of speech therapists in part of Corsica, and the large number of patients waiting for appointments, mean that alternative means have to be found. This is a participatory research project involving young people, parents, siblings and speech therapists.
Goal. The aim of this research is to identify the obstacles and facilitators to the future implementation of digital avatars, a technology that has been shown to be effective in a previous study.
Method. The data presented here focus on the opinions of 25 families with children aged 8 to 15, with Specific Learning disorders (SLD) or deafness, articulate mixed methodologies based on semi-structured interviews and quantitative responses in the form of a Likert scale.
Results. The results show that avatars are fairly well received by parents in the home.
The findings show that deaf children parents tend to condition their approval on their child’s opinion, unlike children with SLD parents, who are mostly unreservedly favorable. Siblings of children with SLD and of deaf children express more nuanced views, showing particular concern for their brother’s or sister’s difficulties.
Conclusion. While the overall opinion on the use of avatars in telepractice in speech-language pathology is favorable, there are recommendations to bear in mind regarding their use at home.
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