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Expressive visual text-to-speech as an assistive technology for individuals with autism spectrum conditions.

ABSTRACT: Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) experience marked difficulties in recognising the emotions of others and responding appropriately. The clinical characteristics of ASC mean that face to face or group interventions may not be appropriate for this clinical group. This article explores the potential of a new interactive technology, converting text to emotionally expressive speech, to improve emotion processing ability and attention to faces in adults with ASC. We demonstrate a method for generating a near-videorealistic avatar (XpressiveTalk), which can produce a video of a face uttering inputted text, in a large variety of emotional tones. We then demonstrate that general population adults can correctly recognize the emotions portrayed by XpressiveTalk. Adults with ASC are significantly less accurate than controls, but still above chance levels for inferring emotions from XpressiveTalk. Both groups are significantly more accurate when inferring sad emotions from XpressiveTalk compared to the original actress, and rate these expressions as significantly more preferred and realistic. The potential applications for XpressiveTalk as an assistive technology for adults with ASC is discussed.

SUBMITTER: Cassidy SA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4913554 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Expressive visual text-to-speech as an assistive technology for individuals with autism spectrum conditions.

Cassidy S A SA Stenger B B Van Dongen L L Yanagisawa K K Anderson R R Wan V V Baron-Cohen S S Cipolla R R

Computer vision and image understanding : CVIU 20160701

Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) experience marked difficulties in recognising the emotions of others and responding appropriately. The clinical characteristics of ASC mean that face to face or group interventions may not be appropriate for this clinical group. This article explores the potential of a new interactive technology, converting text to emotionally expressive speech, to improve emotion processing ability and attention to faces in adults with ASC. We demonstrate a method fo ...[more]

PMID: 27375348

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Project description:Multisensory information is integrated asymmetrically in speech perception: An audio signal can follow video by 240ms, but can precede video by only 60ms, without disrupting the sense of synchronicity (Munhall et al., 1996). Similarly, air flow can follow either audio (Gick et al., 2010) or video (Bicevskis et al., 2016) by a much larger margin than it can precede either while remaining perceptually synchronous. These asymmetric windows of integration have been attributed to the physical properties of the signals; light travels faster than sound (Munhall et al., 1996), and sound travels faster than air flow (Gick et al., 2010). Perceptual windows of integration narrow during development (Hillock-Dunn and Wallace, 2012), but remain wider among people with autism (Wallace and Stevenson, 2014). Here we show that, even among neurotypical adult perceivers, visual-tactile windows of integration are wider and flatter the higher the participant's Autism Quotient (AQ) (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001), a self-report measure of autistic traits. As "pa" is produced with a tiny burst of aspiration (Derrick et al., 2009), we applied light and inaudible air puffs to participants' necks while they watched silent videos of a person saying "ba" or "pa," with puffs presented both synchronously and at varying degrees of asynchrony relative to the recorded plosive release burst, which itself is time-aligned to visible lip opening. All syllables seen along with cutaneous air puffs were more likely to be perceived as "pa." Syllables were perceived as "pa" most often when the air puff occurred 50-100ms after lip opening, with decaying probability as asynchrony increased. Integration was less dependent on time-alignment the higher the participant's AQ. Perceivers integrate event-relevant tactile information in visual speech perception with greater reliance upon event-related accuracy the more they self-describe as neurotypical, supporting the Happé and Frith (2006) weak coherence account of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Project description:SignificanceHead-mounted low vision devices have become a viable alternative to enhance residual vision. This study supports the use of a head-mounted display to improve aspects of functional vision and quality of life. Much is still unknown regarding the required frequency, duration, or potential effectiveness of this telerehabilitation training protocol or what characteristics best identify optimal users.PurposeA randomized study explored the effect of telerehabilitation on quality of life and functional vision in individuals with low vision using a head-mounted display.MethodsWe recruited 57 participants (age, 21 to 82 years; mean, 54.5 years) among new prospective eSight Eyewear users, randomized 1:1 into two parallel groups; the experimental group received the telerehabilitation training provided by a low vision therapist, whereas the control group received the self-training standard offered by the device manufacturer and without involvement of a low vision therapist. The primary outcome measures were the impact of telerehabilitation on validated measures of assistive technology-related quality of life: the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale and the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology scale. Exploratory outcomes were the assessment of self-reported functional vision using the Veterans Affairs Low Vision Visual Functioning Questionnaire-48 and cybersickness associated with head-mounted display use with the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire.ResultsAssistive technology-related quality of life was improved when measured by the satisfaction scale but not the psychosocial scale within the first 3 months, independently of training type. Overall, functional vision improvement was observed within the first 2 weeks of device use and maintained during the 6-month study, independently of group type. Cybersickness outcomes were similar between training groups and did not change significantly for 6 months.ConclusionseSight Eyewear, either with telerehabilitation or with the manufacturer self-training comparison, improved functional vision and increased users' quality of life within the initial 3 months of device training and practice.

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Expressive visual text-to-speech as an assistive technology for individuals with autism spectrum conditions.

Publications

Expressive visual text-to-speech as an assistive technology for individuals with autism spectrum conditions.

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