In Brief

The Challenge

Speech, language, and communication needs are the most common childhood disability, with prevalence rates of 7-10% reported for preschool children rising to as high as 50% of all children in areas of social disadvantage. Children with poor vocabulary are twice as likely to be unemployed as adults. Speech and language therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in supporting children’s speech and language development both in children with typical development and in children with disabilities. 

Despite the high prevalence of speech, language and communication needs in young children, and the demonstrated effectiveness of speech and language therapy, many families are unable to access therapy for their children due to the lengthy waiting lists that exist in Ireland. The national waiting lists for speech and language therapy in May 2022 recorded 32,151 children waiting for assessment or intervention. Of those on waiting lists, approximately 11% have been waiting for more than one year.  

This is unacceptable.

The Solution

There are two primary goals for our project: first, we will be launching a national repository of free resources for speech therapists to facilitate the design and storage of shared resources. Secondly, we aim to develop a digital platform to bridge the gaps in current service provision, using machine learning to transform service delivery, enhance the efficiency and quality of speech and language therapy, and to address the current unacceptable waiting lists. The primary objective of the platform is to provide transparency between the therapist-led sessions and home practice to facilitate a better understanding of a child’s progress. Using evolutionary algorithms, suggested materials will be offered to create a real-time adaptive ecosystem designed to adapt to the individual needs of each child.

The Team 

  • Team Lead: Dr Keith Maycock, National College of Ireland  
  • Team Co-Lead: Dr Yvonne Lynch, Trinity College Dublin  

Societal Impact Champion  

  • Ms. Beth Milofsky