Towards Precision Characterization of Communication Disorders using Models of Perceived Pragmatic Similarity
Nigel G. Ward, Andres Segura, Georgina Bugarini, Heike Lehnert-LeHouillier, Dancheng Liu, Jinjun Xiong, Olac Fuentes
TL;DR
It is shown that a simple model can capture utterance aspects that are relevant to diagnosis of autism and of specific language impairment, and how it might support several use cases for clinicians and clients are outlined.
Abstract
The diagnosis and treatment of individuals with communication disorders offers many opportunities for the application of speech technology, but research so far has not adequately considered: the diversity of conditions, the role of pragmatic deficits, and the challenges of limited data. This paper explores how a general-purpose model of perceived pragmatic similarity may overcome these limitations. It explains how it might support several use cases for clinicians and clients, and presents evidence that a simple model can provide value, and in particular can capture utterance aspects that are relevant to diagnoses of autism and specific language impairment.