INcorporating VoIce AcTivated Communication Aids Into Everyday Communication (INVITE)

Dysarthria is a speech disorder resulting in speech that is slow, slurred and difficult to understand, limiting a person's opportunities to study, work, and develop relationships.

People with dysarthria often use communication aids to help them to communicate creating spoken messages using a keyboard, touchscreen or joystick. Communication aids can increase independence but are often too slow to keep pace with normal conversation.

Developments in speech recognition technology have led to apps which can learn to recognise a set of words or sounds spoken by the individual with dysarthria, and connect these with a clear spoken output. The investigator's previous research provides some evidence that these voice input communication apps may be faster than traditional communication aids. This study aims to find out who can benefit from this technology, and what support they will need to use it successfully. This information can be used by professionals involved in providing communication aids, and will help the investigators to plan further research into their effectiveness.

This research has two phases:

1. 20-30 individuals with dysarthria will be asked to use a voice input communication app for 6 months. The investigator's will collect information on whether VocaTempo improves their communication, and helps participants to reach their goals.
2. Focus groups will be held with professionals involved in providing and supporting people with communication aids, to understand factors affecting their ability to provide the support identified as needed in part 1 of the research.

The investigators have a panel of communication aid users, who are advising and contributing throughout the study, for example, helping the investigators to identify informal support networks to recruit participants from. The investigators will let people know about the findings through support groups used by people with dysarthria, publications read by people involved in providing communication aids, and academic papers and conferences.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Dysarthria
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Communication aid support

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Barnsley, United Kingdom, S75 2EP
    • Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Over 18 years of age
• Moderately or severely dysarthric (identified using the Frenchay Dysarthria assessment
• Minimum of 2 distinct vocalisations over which they have voluntary control
• Able to give informed consent and take part in interviews with appropriate communication support (scores level 1-3 on consent support tool)
• Communicates predominantly in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• They have significant cognitive impairment and are unable to give informed consent on their own behalf or actively take part in interviews (tested using the Consent Support Tool, scoring at level 4), or are unable to use a communication aid.
• They have no controlled vocalisations.
• They have dysarthria as a result of a progressive condition

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention group	Other: Communication aid support; Support to use voice input voice output communication aids

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Goal Attainment Scale (measuring change between time points of distance from goal)	Measures attainment of participant defined goals.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pragmatic Profile of Everyday Communication Skills in Adults (measuring change between time points of pragmatic communication)	Assesses pragmatic language use	Baseline, 3 and 6 months.

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Speed of Communication by measuring time taken to speak out phrase with device - measuring change between timepoints.	Measuring speed of communicating with communication aid	3 and 6 months
System Usability Scale (measuring change between time points)	Questionnaire asking about usability of communication aid	3 and 6 months
Semi-structured interview	Conversation to ascertain participants experience	Baseline
Semi-structured interview	Conversation to ascertain participants experience	3 months
Semi-structured interview	Conversation to ascertain participants experience	6 months
Participant diary (emails between participant and research which will be used as qualitative data).	Email diary	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Sheffield
• Collaborators: Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Kate Fryer, University of Sheffield

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 31, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 20, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 4, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): May 16, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 30, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 25, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Communication Disorders; Language Disorders; Speech Disorders; Articulation Disorders; Dysarthria
• Other Study ID Numbers: 171440

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No