Voiceitt for People With Impairments in Speech

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Speech Impairment; Speech Disorder

• Registration Number: NCT06874322
• Lead Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh

Brief Summary

The primary objective of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the Voiceitt app in improving communication for individuals with speech impairments due to conditions such as cerebral palsy (CP), stroke, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Parkinson's disease.

Detailed Description

Conditions like CP, ALS, Stroke or Parkinson's disease, etc., cause communication impairment. There are few augmentative communication options that allow people with these impairments to communicate effectively.

Voiceitt is an app that is designed to assist people with speech impairments by using a voice recognition and dictation tool that adapts to users' unique, non-standard speech patterns. However, its effectiveness in clinical populations has not been established. This study is bridging the gap in evaluating the preliminary effectiveness and feasibility of Voiceitt app in improving communication among people with mild to moderate speech impairments.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2025-02-21
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-07
• Study First Posted: 2025-03-13
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-13
• Study Start: 2025-05
• Primary Completion: 2026-01-31
• Study Completion: 2026-06-26

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 20

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 13 or older
• moderately severe speech dysarthria due to conditions such as CP, stroke, ALS or Parkinson's Disease, etc.
• Ability to understand and follow instructions for using the Voiceitt app.

Exclusion Criteria

• Severe cognitive impairments that prevent the understanding of the Voiceitt app and required training.
• Patients who have additional speech impairments other than dysarthria, such as significant aphasia or verbal apraxia.
• Severe physical impairments that prevent interaction with the app.
• Non-English speakers.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Communication Abilities as measured by SIR	Baseline (Day 1), 5-6 months, and 7-8 months	Change in Communication Abilities as measured by Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) that quantifies clarity of speech. The rating ranges from 1-5. low rating means speech is unintelligible, and highest rating means speech is intelligible to all listeners. Change in SIR is measured by administering SIR at 3 different time points, at baseline, and two times after intervention.
Change in Communication Abilities as measured by Communication Effectiveness Index (CETI)	Baseline (day 1), 5-6 months, and 7-8 months	Change in Communication Abilities as measured by Communication Effectiveness Index (CETI) that measures perceived effectiveness of communication in daily activities. CETI is a 16 item questionnaire. Each item is scored from 1-100. The final score of CETI is the averaged score across the 16 items, and ranges from 1-100. A high score indicates good performance in functional communication and a low score, poor performance. Change in CETI is measured by administering CETI at 3 different time points, at baseline, and two times after intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
User Satisfaction	7-8 months	User satisfaction is assessed through surveys and interviews focusing on ease of use, satisfaction with the app, and perceived changes. The survey uses Likert-type scale where users choose the answer option that represent their assessment of the app on several usability questions. An example of the question-and-answer choices is "How easy was it to set up the Voiceitt app? Very easy, Easy, Neutral, Difficult, Very difficult." Reported data will be a combination of frequency of participants choosing favorable and unfavorable answer choices, and a qualitative analysis based on participants' responses to the survey and interview.
Change in Communication-Related Frustration	7-8 months	Self-reported change in frustration levels during communication.
Change in Participants' Accounts on Social Interaction Quality	7-8 months	Through qualitative interviews, participants will be asked about how the app influenced their social interactions and participation in daily activities. This information will be reported qualitatively as themes using qualitative analysis.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Center for Assistive Technology; 🇺🇸 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States