The design of an expert system for the e-assessment and treatment plan of preschoolers’ speech and language disorders

AbstractCommunication skills play a vital Role in life's experiences. Especially when a child enters the formal education setting, the ability to communicate is a significant component in order to learn and interact with peers and adults. The curriculum at school aims to enhance students’ literacy and language skills. Educators work hard to offer opportunities within a fruitful environment for the development of children's spoken and written language abilities. The child's learning process can be affected in the case of a communication disorder. Early diagnosis of a speech and language disorder is very crucial for the success of treatment and the child development. The evaluation and diagnosis of such disorders requires experienced clinicians, who may not be always available for a diagnostic evaluation or sometimes might not be experienced enough.The purpose of the study was to investigate the design of a computer-based system with the knowledge to assess preschoolers’ speech and language disorders. The development of the system was planned so as to assist preschool teachers for the diagnostic process. The methodology tool is based on expert systems. The development of the model was based on knowledge from the literature in combination with empirical data used as a knowledge source to facilitate accurate knowledge acquisition. The system also provides tips and recommended instructions for intervention and may partially make up for the expert-personnel shortage in the school setting