Using computer technologies in professional activity of a speech therapist.

Contact: Olena Lastochkina, Candidate of Pedagogic Sciences (Ph.D.), Senior Lecturer at Logopaedia department of Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko, Sumy, Ukraine. Academic interests: deals with correction of serious speech disorders, people of different age have, using computer technologies.

The article presents certain variations and characteristic features’ of computer technologies analytical research in the work of a speech therapist. The author provides a short description of programs and technical means according to main streams in speech correction: programs used to detect and correct speech disorders, to create methodological accumulations and save the analysis of the experimental data, programs, used to differentiate speech and sound dimensions, which are based on the principle of speech visualization, programs for personal computers and smart phones, Internet programs. The examples of these programs are: hardware and software system “Vydyme movlennya - 3”, (developed by IBM), the program “Visual Articulation Trainer” (developed by Belorussian reseachers), computer technology “Games for a tiger”, the computer logopaedic program “Suncastle”, logopaedic trainers “Delfa - 141” and “Delfa - 142” (developed by Russian researchers), “Logoadaptation” computer system (developed by Ukrainian developers, 2006). A mention should be made about the modern hardware and software system called “Planometr” aimed to detect and correct speech disorders of different etiology (the USA, 2005). The “Planometr” system can also be the tool to get feedback.  Unlike all the traditional tools, it is an effective way to correct sound articulation disorders.  In a realtime mode this system shows a model audio spectrogram (the contact system of a tongue and a roof of the mouth) and the one belonging to a patient with speech disorders. During the correction work a mutual impulse-kinesthetic-speech contact is being set up between a patient and a speech therapist. This system may be implemented to correct speech disorders o, people of different age (no younger than 4) have. All the hardware and software tools mentioned give the opportunity to create new pedagogical technologies, which facilitate the activation and effective functioning of speech disordered person’s compensatory mechanisms, and correct speech disorder of different etiology.

Key words: modern computer technologies, interactive methods, hardware and software systems, speech disorders’ correction.