Schedule of Events | Symposia

Sketchpad Series

Mirror Speech Entrainment: A novel technique for entraining speech production in aphasia

Poster Session E - Monday, March 31, 2025, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Celine Davis¹ (celinedavis@usf.edu), Gerald C. Imaezue¹; ¹University of South Florida

Nonfluent aphasia, often caused by stroke, is characterized by effortful, fragmented speech. Speech entrainment, which uses auditory (voice-speech) or audiovisual stimuli (facial mouth movements plus speech), has shown promise in entraining and improving speech fluency in persons with nonfluent aphasia (PWNA). Traditional speech entrainment relies on external stimuli; however, research suggests individuals focus more on their voice (self-voice attention) or face (self-face attention) than on external sources. Building on this, we introduce Mirror Speech Entrainment (MSE), a novel approach leveraging AI-generated personalized stimuli—voice and video clones of participants—to entrain PWNA’s speech using their own voice (audio) and voice paired with facial movements (video). Three feasibility studies, each employing a single-arm (within-subjects) controlled design, will test MSE. In Study 1, four English-speaking PWA (>6 months poststroke) sequentially receive MSE-audio and MSE-video treatments, counterbalanced across participants. Speech rate and accuracy are assessed at baseline (T1), post-treatment one (T2), and post-treatment two (T3). Study 2 evaluates four additional PWA using MSE-video versus traditional audiovisual entrainment, with counterbalanced treatment orders and identical assessment timepoints. Study 3 compares MSE-audio with traditional audio entrainment using the same protocol. All treatments are delivered via mobile apps that automate both MSE and traditional entrainment procedures. Pre- and post-treatment assessments will evaluate gains in speech rate and accuracy in PWNA. Findings aim to determine the feasibility of MSE as an innovative tool for improving speech production in PWNA.

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