E-SALT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
E-SALT: Participatory design of smart phone technology to support Early Speech And Language Therapy for very young children with motor disorders
IRAS ID
173076
Contact name
Lindsay Pennington
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
Children with cerebral palsy often have speech problems which make them hard to understand and which can lead to exclusion from social and educational activities. In a programme of research we aim to explore the question: if preschool children with speech difficulties and cerebral palsy speak more frequently, will their speech be easier to understand? This first study is an innovation and proof of concept study. Researchers and parents will work together to co-design new smart phone applications that will let parents video-record their interaction with their children and share this with their therapist. Using the applications, parents and therapists will be able to highlight sections of the recorded interaction, make spoken or written notes about it and enter into ongoing discussions and coaching sessions via the phone. The application will enable parents to engage in therapy when it is convenient to them. We will test if it is possible to train parents to encourage their preschool children with cerebral palsy to speak more frequently in therapy using the smart phone technology. The technology will have wide application across therapy for children. It may reduce the number of physical meetings between families and therapists and may therefore reduce therapy costs.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NE/0221
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion