Splash: Speech and Language Assessment in Schools and Homes
Abstract
This paper presents a tablet-based app for Speech and Language Assessment in Schools and Homes ( Splash) to provide a first screening for young children aged 4–6 years to assess their speech and language skills. The app aims to be easy-to-administer with an adult, such as a teacher or parent, directing the child through the tasks. Three fun games have been developed to assess receptive language, expressive language and connected speech, respectively. Currently in proof-of-concept mode, when complete Splash will use automatic spoken language processing to give an instant estimate of a child’s communication ability and provide guidance on whether to speak specialist support. While not a diagnostic tool, the aim is for Splash to be used to provide immediate reassurance or direction to concerned parents, guardians or teachers as it can be administered by anyone, anywhere.