Shaping Conversational Speech For People With Autism And Communication Challenges
Our Beginning
SpeechMatch was created by Dr. Larry Welkowitz and Dr. Robert Taub to help people on the autism spectrum improve their communication skills. This tool was developed by combining behavioral research on visual feedback and shaping (Welkowitz) with music software used to represent critical components of sound (Taub). Years of collaboration and study have contributed to the release of SpeechMatch to parents and professionals.
"My patients have found SpeechMatch to be very helpful. After years of development and study, I am impressed that SpeechMatch has emerged from the research lab and is now available for public use as a viable clinical tool."
-Eric Hollander,
MD Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Director of the Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Program at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
12
Peer Reviewed Studies
10+
Years of Research
Individuals hear a phrase that may be happy, sad, pleasant or unpleasant surprise, neutral or funny. While they listen they see the sound wave generated by the phrase. They then speak the phrase, generating their own sound wave and receive immediate feedback about their percentage match of volume, rhythm, pitch and overall match. The person keeps practicing to improve their scores which works to improve their conversational skills.
Our Mission
SpeechMatch aims to support individuals in developing their communication fluency, in order to support meaningful interpersonal and social relationships. The science behind communication tells us that how you speak is more important than what you say; SpeechMatch helps train users to converse more effectively and, in turn, have meaningful experiences with others.