A speech pronunciation practice system for speech-impaired children: A study to measure its success.

Salim et al. (2016) built a computer game that lets kids hear a word, say it into a mic, and see right away if they got it right. The system scores each try and keeps track of errors.

Children with developmental speech delays used the game in daily sessions. The team counted word errors before and after practice to see if the tool helped.

Kids made fewer word errors after using the speech-practice system. The drop was big enough to show up in the stats.

Better accuracy made kids use the game more and like it more. The numbers showed a clear link: say it better → play longer → feel happier.

Efstratopoulou et al. (2023) later tested Dragon speech-to-text with children who struggle to write. Both studies used a computer speech tool, pre-post design, and saw positive gains. The pair forms a conceptual replication: tech that listens to speech can lift communication skills in more than one way.

Simmons et al. (2016) ran a similar pre-post pilot with a prosody app. Their gains were smaller, but high engagement matched what Salwah saw. The pattern suggests computer speech apps keep kids hooked even when the target skill differs.

Castañe et al. (1993) took the opposite path—no screens, just teacher-delivered error correction. They found saying the whole word after a mistake beat phonetic hints. Salwah’s computer gives the whole-word model too, so the two studies align: full-word feedback helps kids with developmental delays store the right sound pattern.

If a child on your caseload has garbled speech, try a computer program that scores each try out loud. Quick, clear feedback cut errors in this study and kept kids practicing. Pair the tool with your usual drills, then track error counts weekly. When accuracy rises, expect motivation to rise too—use that loop to build longer sessions and faster progress.