Be Heard.

95% of the Down’s syndrome population have articulation defects, which make it hard for them to communicate with others and fit into the society. However, ‘articulation defects’ doesn’t equal ‘impossible to articulate’ , and this project is trying to take the equals sign away.

Background

When working as an intern at a local newspaper, I found a series of reports on what difficulties people with Down’s syndrome have in fitting into the society.

Research Methods

Shadowing

Interview

Literature Review

The complete research process can be seen on Page 2-3

All the references can be found on Page 8

Problem Statement

The Difficulties Children with Down's Syndrome Have in Articulation

·Hearing loss

·Phonological short-term

·Memory deficit

Unable to establish fully phonologically specified lexical representations for words

·Neurological disorders

·Dental abnormalities

·Structural anomalies of the tongue

·Other oral fauces

Aetiological factors of Down's syndrome group's articulation disorder

A main reason why people with Down's syndrome can't fit into the society is that they have difficulty communicating with others due to their articulation defects.

The complete process of user research can be seen on Page 3-4

Insight

Correction on the frequent phonetic errors is important.

Training on DS children’s oral perception and articulatory organs can be more fun.

Parents should have more time for themselves and be freed from repetitive work.

Targeted one-to-one teaching is hard to achieve in rehabilitation center for children with Down's syndrome.

Ideation

To help the children with Down's syndrome improve articulation and to free their parents and teachers from repetitive work, I came up with the idea of creating a mobile app which acts as an online private tutor. With the app, the children can practice as well as correct their pronunciation and exercise their oral muscles. What's more, parents and teachers can track the children's progress and give timely instructions by associating their accounts with the children's.

To assess the pronunciation, I set the criteria based on linguistic knowledge.

Prototype

The app has to be used with a smart device, which collects the data for evaluation on the children's pronunciation.

Top View

Side View

Front View

Removable Units (three views)

Perspective Drawing

Display

3D Printing Model

Where the smart device is needed

The app serves three types of users, including children with Down's syndrome, their parents and their teachers (speech coach), so the app prototype includes three corresponding user flows.

Student Flow

Account Creation

Allowing the user (a child with Down's syndrome) to set up his or her account and associate the account with his or her teacher and parent by typing in the allocated account number of the teacher or parent.

Consonant Practice

Instructing the user in pronunciation of consonants (where the Down's syndrome group make most phonetic errors) by analyzing their articulation and giving suggestion for improvement.

Oral Motor Exercise

Through playing games, the user can exercise the oral cavity to help speech development.

Training Feedback

Letting the user to be clear where they have done a good job and where they can put more effort.

Teacher Flow

Allowing the user (a speech coach for children with Down's syndrome) to follow up the progress of the student, set learning schedules for the student and communicate with the parent by associating his or her allocated account with the student.

Parent Flow

Providing a channel for the user (a parent of a child with Down's syndrome), through which he or she can follow up his or her child's progress.

The wireframe can be viewed on Page 6

Icon

A child is holding up his or her head, full of hope. He or she is practicing pronunciation. With the letter ‘p’ no longer twisted, his or her pronunciation gets clear. ‘Be Heard’ is like the calls for not only comprehension of words but also understanding in inner thoughts.