DLD is a condition whereby an individual experiences significant language difficulties which impact their ability to understand and produce language. It may span into adulthood as a lifelong condition, though speech and language therapy improves the understanding significantly.
A diagnosis of DLD can be given following a comprehensive assessment by a speech and language pathologist (SLP).
To assist these individuals, speech and language therapists frequently modify standard toys and games for therapeutic use, adjusting commercially available resources to meet the diverse needs of their clients in the local context. Nevertheless, there is a notable scarcity of speech and language therapeutic toys (SALTTs) designed specifically for the bilingual Maltese-English population.
To this end, researchers and game developers from the University of Malta have been collaborating on designing a board game and a companion app for use within the Maltese bilingual context.
The purpose of SALTT-CITY is to address the challenges of DLD in bilingual Maltese-English-speaking children aged five to eight. This tool is designed to target receptive and expressive language difficulties in both Maltese and English.
The app collects data on children’s performance during speech and language therapy sessions, allowing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to track their clients’ progress. This data can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of this technology-based intervention for DLD, contributing to a smart city environment by utilising data collected from various clinics.
The team at the University of Malta is being led by Prof. Inġ. Philip Farrugia, from the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, and includes Prof. Inġ. Owen Casha from the Department of Microelectronics and Nanoelectronics, Prof. Inġ. Simon Fabri from the Department of Systems and Control Engineering, Prof. Helen Grech, Prof. Daniela Gatt, Donia Stellini from the Department of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Inġ. Edward Abela from the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
Anthony Demanuele and his team from Flying Squirrel Games are also collaborating on the SALTT-CITY project, which is being funded through the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) Smart Cities Programme (project reference no. SCP-2022-007).
The board game and accompanying app have so far been prototyped in the local bilingual context.
