Introduction: Aphasia is an acquired neurogenic language disorder that negatively impacts functional reading ability. Text-to-speech (TTS) technology supports reading confidence and speed among people with aphasia (PWA), however, TTS does not universally improve comprehension. The purpose of this study was to test a procedure to determine a personally optimized text to speech rate (TTS-POR) by evaluating reading efficiency (comprehension accuracy divided by reading speed).
Research Question: Is it possible to determine a TTS-POR and does it support reading confidence and comprehension in PWA?
Methods: Participants included three PWA and three neurotypical adults (NA) who were age, gender, and education matched. They read paragraph-length passages with associated multiple choice questions across three sessions. First, Habitual reading speed and baseline comprehension measures were determined without TTS. Second, participants’ auditory and visual input were synchronized with eye-tracking. Perceived synchronization greater than 60%, comprehension at or above their unsupported baseline, and a comfort level above average was required to determine the participants’ optimized TTS rate (TTS-POR). Third, performance was compared between TTS-POR and default rate conditions by reading efficiency (comprehension divided by time spent reading) and comfort ratings.
Findings: PWA exhibited the highest reading efficiency in the default rate, however, two of the three PWa exhibited the highest comprehension in the TTS-POR. PWA reported discomfort and expressed reluctance to utilize the default speed. NA participants had the highest reading efficiency with the TTS-POR with high comfort ratings. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of and relevance of TTS-POR for PWA and underscore the importance of a user-centric approach. Future research could investigate if synchronization of auditory and visual input is required for PWA to benefit from TTS.
Relevance: Reading deficits in PWA affect their quality of life. This research aims to develop compensatory strategies that help increase reading confidence and comprehension in PWA.
Author(s): Elise Bossenbroek
Advisor(s): Kelly Knollman-Porter, Speech Pathology and Audiology
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