On Hardware and Software Supporting Communication and Therapies of Speech and Voice Disorders

One of the most important needs of man is to communicate with other people. The more efficiently such a process is fulfilled, the better is its influence on self-esteem, self-acceptance and consequently on the quality of life of a person, its adaptation and functioning in the society. The disorders in this areas can be due to some underdevelopments and/or damages of structures in brain, neural pathways, neural connections and processes that are responsible for the work of vocal organs: respiratory system, larynx, articulation. In this paper we describe some examples of the ways in which the informatics can be applied to support the processes of communication of people with some impairments and/or disabilities. This includes the high-tech devices for the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), the Warnke method and the innovative software called Dr Neuronowski. The alternative communication means an application of an alternative system in a conversation. The augmentative communication occurs when a person with a limited ability of speech uses a supplementary systems of communication. The Warnke method is based on the automation of the processing of perceptions in hearing and seeing and motor skills, the automation of the coordination of the brain-hemispheres, and the development and automation of a visual dictionary. The main motivation for Dr Neuronowski software is the observations that an action of human mind is based on the perception of time and the timeous processing of suitable information, which concerns mechanisms of various cognition operations (eye-hand coordination, speech, language, memory, learning of new information, concentration of attention, decision-making etc.). Since speech is one of the main ways of communication, we also present a description of applications of the laryngograph – an electronic tool that is very helpful in the diagnosis of speech problems and voice impairments as well as in the therapy of them. We discuss only some selected systems, but a constant progress can be observed in this area and every year some new devices or just computer applications are available that support speech therapies and/or possibilities of communication and make the life of numerous people with various difficulties much easier.