SpeechMatch: Match That Pitch

Image from SpeechMatch

Psychology Professor Larry Welkowitz, of Keene State College, and pianist Robert Taub developed the app SpeechMatch for individuals with autism. This app was designed to help individuals improve their communication with others, as well as feel more comfortable in social interactions. Professor Welkowitz noted that there was a lack of research on the pitch and volume of speech during interactions, while facial expressions and body language have been a main focus.

The main goal of this app for Welkowitz and Baum was to help integrate individuals with autism more with their peers during daily conversations and interactions. Welkowitz considered that individuals on the spectrum “tend to speak at you instead of with you,” due to the lack of learning to recognize volumes and tones of speech; this can be addressed by sensitizing individuals to the understanding that how they respond or speak is important (New Hampshire Union Leader).

SpeechMatch has both visual and auditory components. Once downloaded, individuals can get the app to “speak” to them, and a short phrase reflecting a specific tone (happy, sad, neutral, etc.) will be produced. While hearing this sound, the phrase’s sound wave is visualized on the screen. Individuals will then repeat the phrase back and receive feedback on how closely their volume, rhythm, and pitch matches what they heard. This feedback will be reflected to them visually, in the form of percentages.

In the two years since SpeechMatch was launched as an app, clinical studies have been conducted to examine its impacts. Results from these studies have revealed the app to be extremely helpful in improving the conversational speech of individuals with autism. Welkowitz states that “within a few weeks, people on the spectrum can do the match and they improve their percentage match significantly” (New Hampshire Union Leader).