SpeechKraft

Empowering Verbal Confidence: Non-judgmental Communication Support for Autistic Individuals

SpeechKraft revolutionizes education for autistic learners by providing an AI-powered tool that enhances verbal communication skills. It tackles common speech challenges, offering personalized feedback and support. This innovative educational technology fosters a non-judgmental, inclusive, accessible learning environment; enabling students to build confidence and improve their language abilities.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

2023

Established

-

Children

3

Countries

Target group

Students basic

Updated

October 2024

SpeechKraft aims to enhance inclusivity in education, supporting SDG 4 by empowering individuals with autism to overcome verbal communication barriers. This innovation envisions an educational landscape where all learners, regardless of challenges, can engage confidently and effectively, ensuring equitable access and participation in quality education for everyone.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

SpeechKraft was conceived to tackle the verbal communication hurdles faced by individuals with autism, including difficulties in sentence completion, pronunciation, and fluency. Recognizing that about 25-30% of autistic individuals struggle with these aspects, the innovation utilizes AI with the aim to provide a supportive, non-judgmental learning tool for enhancing verbal communication skills.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

SpeechKraft operates as a hands-on educational tool. It integrates a Raspberry Pi microcontroller, a microphone for capturing speech, and a speaker for auditory feedback, encased in a user-friendly, 3D-printed structure for ease of handling. At its core, the tool employs the Llama language model, meticulously fine-tuned to recognize and address specific speech-related issues such as incomplete sentences, complex word usage, mispronunciations, lisping, and stuttering.

When a user speaks into the microphone, their speech is instantly transcribed into text via advanced speech-to-text technology. The AI analyzes this text in real-time, identifying areas for improvement. It then provides immediate, constructive feedback through the speaker or display screen, offering corrections, completing sentences, and suggesting simpler terms without any judgment. This process aids in practicing language skills and also significantly boosts the user's confidence in their ability to communicate.

How has it been spreading?

SpeechKraft’s spread is driven by multiple strategic avenues:

Competitions and Fairs: It gained global recognition by winning Gold at the ESKOM International Science Festival, SA, and the top prize at the India Innovation Challenge by the University of Sydney; in addition to winning Grand Prize at the IRIS National Fair.

Expert Collaboration: Continuous engagement with speech therapists and educators from institutions like the Ashiana Institute for Autism and Anandi Special School has refined the tool and helped integrate it into therapeutic and educational settings.

Community and Volunteering: Involvement of students, teachers, and community members through feedback sessions and awareness campaigns fosters grassroots advocacy, promoting SpeechKraft’s adoption at the community level.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Please reach out to Keyaan Shah and Ahaan Shah, the innovators behind SpeechKraft, via their provided email addresses (1keyaanshah@gmail.com for Keyaan Shah and 1ahaanshah@gmail.com for Ahaan Shah) to express your interest in trying the tool. We can provide the most current information on SpeechKraft.

Implementation steps

Orientation and Training

Begin with an orientation session for educators, therapists, and caregivers to familiarize them with SpeechKraft’s capabilities, usage, and safety protocols. This includes understanding how the tool addresses verbal communication challenges and how it can be incorporated into educational or therapeutic sessions.

Setting Up the Equipment:

Set up the SpeechKraft device, ensuring the Raspberry Pi, microphone, and speaker are correctly connected and functioning. Install any required software or updates and configure the settings according to the needs of the individual users, such as adjusting sensitivity levels for speech recognition.

Customization for Individual Needs

Customize SpeechKraft’s features based on individual user profiles, taking into account their specific challenges and goals. This may involve adjusting the complexity of feedback, the types of corrections provided, and the synonym suggestions to align with the user's developmental stage and learning pace.

Integration into Daily Practice

Gradually integrate SpeechKraft into the user’s daily practice, starting with short, guided sessions to build familiarity and confidence. Encourage users to interact with the tool by speaking into the microphone and responding to the feedback, gradually increasing the complexity and duration of sessions as they progress.

Monitoring and Feedback

Continuously monitor the user’s interaction with SpeechKraft and collect feedback from users, educators, and caregivers. Use this feedback to make necessary adjustments to the implementation strategy, addressing any challenges and optimizing the tool’s effectiveness. Regularly assess the user’s progress and adapt the usage of SpeechKraft to reflect their evolving needs and achievements.