Phonological awareness, phonological processing, and reading skill training system and method

• US 6,585,517 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. (Private Equity))
• Original Assignee: Cognitive Concepts, Inc. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. (Private Equity))
• Inventors: Wasowicz, Janet M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOSSER, KATHLEEN MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US09/910,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20010049085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1-10, 434/157, 434/169, 434/167, 434/185, 434/6-10
• US Class Current: 434/167
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/006 with audible presentation of the material to be studied audio and audio-visual teaching apparatus in general G09B5/04, G09B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Abstract

A training tool for training and assessing one or more auditory processing, phonological awareness, phonological processing and reading skills of an individual is provided. The training tool may use various graphical games to train the individual'"'"'s ability in a particular set of auditory processing, phonological awareness, phonological processing and reading skills. The system may use speech recognition technology to permit the user to interact with the games.

Claims

1. A method for training a user to discriminate a sound, comprising:

presenting a first and second sound to the user, each sound having a particular set of acoustic components that distinguish the two sounds;

receiving a response from the user discriminating the first and second sounds;

altering an acoustic component of the first sound by a predetermined amount in order to make the sound more similar to the second sound, the acoustic component comprising a frequency component of the sound and continuing to alter the acoustic component of the first sound until the first and second sound are identical; and

presenting the first and second sounds to the user after each alteration of the acoustic component of the first sound wherein the first sound becomes more difficult to distinguish from the second sound.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency component comprises a first formant frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency component comprises a second formant frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the acoustic component further comprises the duration of the sound.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the duration of the sound comprises the voice onset time of the sound.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the acoustic component further comprises the energy of the sound.

7. A system for training a user to discriminate a sound, comprising:

means for presenting a first and second sound to the user, each sound having a particular set of acoustic components that distinguish the two sounds;

means for receiving a response from the user discriminating the first and second sounds;

means for altering an acoustic component of the first sound by a predetermined amount in order to make the sound more similar to the second sound, the acoustic component comprising a frequency component of the sound and means continuing to alter the acoustic component of the first sound until the first and second sound are identical; and

means for presenting the first and second sounds to the user after each alteration of the acoustic component of the first sound wherein the first sound becomes more difficult to distinguish from the second sound.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the frequency component comprises a first formant frequency.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the frequency component comprises a second formant frequency.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the acoustic component further comprises the duration of the sound.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the duration of the sound comprises the voice onset time of the sound.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the acoustic component further comprises the energy of the sound.

13. A method for training a user to discriminate a sound, comprising:

presenting a first and second sound to the user, each sound having a particular set of acoustic components that distinguish the two sounds, the acoustic components comprising a first formant frequency of the sound, a second formant frequency of the sound, a duration of the sound and the energy of the sound;

receiving a response from the user discriminating the first and second sounds;

altering the acoustic components of the first sound by a predetermined amount in order to make the sound more similar to the second sound and continuing to alter the acoustic components of the first sound until the first and second sound are identical; and

presenting the first and second sounds to the user after each alteration of the acoustic components of the first sound wherein the first sound becomes more difficult to distinguish from the second sound.

14. A system for training a user to discriminate a sound, comprising:

means for presenting a first and second sound to the user, each sound having a particular set of acoustic components that distinguish the two sounds, the acoustic components comprising a first formant frequency of the sound, a second formant frequency of the sound, a duration of the sound and the energy of the sound;

means for receiving a response from the user discriminating the first and second sounds;

means for altering the acoustic components of the first sound by a predetermined amount in order to make the sound more similar to the second sound and means for continuing to alter the acoustic components of the first sound until the first and second sound are identical; and

presenting the first and second sounds to the user after each alteration of the acoustic components of the first sound wherein the first sound becomes more difficult to distinguish from the second sound.