Prof Dr Norina Lauer, Professor of Speech Therapy at the Faculty of Social and Health Sciences at OTH Regensburg, made two significant contributions to digital speech therapy in May: the publication of a specialist article in the international journal Aphasiology and a guest appearance on the podcast ‘Sprich KI mit mir!’.
On 19 May, Prof. Lauer spoke with presenter Anika Thurmann about the influence of digital technologies on speech therapy in the podcast series ‘Talk AI with me!’, produced by the Human Centered AI Network humAIne. Under the title ‘Speech therapy digital - How technologies are changing speech therapy’, the two discussed the opportunities and limitations of digital innovations - from app-based therapy to the use of artificial intelligence. Prof Lauer emphasised that digital tools can provide useful support in everyday therapy in the future, but will never replace interpersonal communication. The podcast episode is available on Spotify.
This contribution to social discourse is complemented by another scientific milestone: the publication of a specialist article on the research project ‘PeerPAL - peer-to-peer support for aphasia to improve quality of life’ led by Prof Lauer. As part of the project, which ran from 2020 to 2024, the research team developed an app to digitally connect people with aphasia - a speech disorder following neurological events. The app not only promoted dialogue between those affected, but also had demonstrably positive effects on their quality of life.
The results of the accompanying scientific research show that During the active intervention phase, there were significant improvements in the quality of life of participants - effects that were not observed in a waiting phase without intervention. The publication in Aphasiology emphasises the scientific relevance of these findings and shows how digital technologies can be meaningfully integrated into speech therapy care.
