In speech pathology, the rapid evolution and implementation of artificial intelligence, particularly virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), opens up an amazing world of new opportunities for our assessments and therapy with children and adults.

In this episode of ‘What’s got us talking…’ UTS researchers Dr Lucy Bryant and A/Prof Catarina Pinto Moreira (UNESCO Co-Chair on Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality) expand upon the practical and ethical challenges that clinicians might face, and need to be aware of, before they think about using artificial intelligence (AI) and VR / AR devices.

We explore the promises and pitfalls of immersive technologies like AR and VR, and how these could help reshape speech pathology assessment, therapy, and services.

 

Resources:

Bryant, L., Brunner, M., & Hemsley, B. (2019). A review of virtual reality technologies in the field of communication disability: implications for practice and research. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 15(4), 365–372. 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17483107.2018.1549276

Bryant, L., & Hemsley, B. (2022). Augmented reality: a view to future visual supports for people with disability. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 19(3), 800–813. 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17483107.2022.2125090

UNESCO Chair: Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality
https://unescoaixr.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/UnescoAIXR/

XAVIER - Combines AI and VR in radiology
https://unescoaixr.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/Xavier/

 

Host: Professor Bronwyn Hemsley 
Guests: Dr Lucy Bryant and A/Prof Catarina Pinto Moreira
Producer: Ali Aitken

In speech pathology, the rapid evolution and implementation of artificial intelligence, particularly virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), opens up an amazing world of new opportunities for our assessments and therapy with children and adults.
In this episode of &lsquo;What&rsquo;s got us talking&hellip;&rsquo; UTS researchers Dr Lucy Bryant and A/Prof Catarina Pinto Moreira (UNESCO Co-Chair on Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality) expand upon the practical and ethical challenges that clinicians might face, and need to be aware of, before they think about using artificial intelligence (AI) and VR / AR devices.
We explore the promises and pitfalls of immersive technologies like AR and VR, and how these could help reshape speech pathology assessment, therapy, and services.
&nbsp;
Resources:
Bryant, L., Brunner, M., &amp; Hemsley, B. (2019). A review of virtual reality technologies in the field of communication disability: implications for practice and research. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 15(4), 365&ndash;372.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17483107.2018.1549276">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17483107.2018.1549276</a>
Bryant, L., &amp; Hemsley, B. (2022). Augmented reality: a view to future visual supports for people with disability. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 19(3), 800&ndash;813.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17483107.2022.2125090">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17483107.2022.2125090</a>
UNESCO Chair: Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality <a href="https://unescoaixr.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/UnescoAIXR/">https://unescoaixr.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/UnescoAIXR/</a>
XAVIER - Combines AI and VR in radiology <a href="https://unescoaixr.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/Xavier/">https://unescoaixr.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/Xavier/</a>
&nbsp;
Host: Professor Bronwyn Hemsley&nbsp; Guests: Dr Lucy Bryant and A/Prof Catarina Pinto Moreira Producer: Ali Aitken

Discover the latest research and insights in Speech Pathology from the University of Technology Sydney. Join Professor Bronwyn Hemsley, Head of Speech Pathology at UTS, as she starts the conversations shaping the field. A must-listen for speechies, students, and their curious friends.

Discover the latest research and insights in Speech Pathology from the University of Technology Sydney. Join Professor Bronwyn Hemsley, Head of Speech Pathology at UTS, as she starts the conversations shaping the field. A must-listen for speechies, students, and their curious friends.

What’s Got Us Talking: A UTS Speech Pathology Podcast

Discover the latest research and insights in Speech Pathology from the University of Technology Sydney. Join Professor Bronwyn Hemsley, Head of Speech Pathology at UTS, as she starts the conversations shaping the field. A must-listen for speechies, students, and their curious friends.

Machines Helping Humans: The Possibilities & Pitfalls of VR / AR in Speech Pathology

Dementia often changes a person’s communication while also increasing their need for connection and support. In this episode of ‘What’s Got Us Talking…’, we explore the impact of communication changes in dementia, and the important role speech pathologists play in enabling more successful communication and connection.

 

Resources:

Dementia Australia: 
Talking to someone with dementia https://www.dementia.org.au/living-dementia/staying-connected/talking-someone-dementia

Speech Pathology Australia Factsheeton Dementia and Communication: 
https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/common/Uploaded%20files/CommunicationHub/Fact-Sheets/Dementia%20and%20communication%20FINAL.pdf

Speech Pathology Australia Dementia Practice Guideline: 
Working with People with Lived Experience of Dementia https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Shared_Content/Smart-Suite/Smart-Library/Public/Smart-Library-View.aspx?resource=920

Systematic Review of Communication Partner Training Programs for Families of People with Dementia (Open Access) 
Folder, N., Power, E., Rietdijk, R., Christensen, I., Togher, L., & Parker, D. (2023). The Effectiveness and Characteristics of Communication Partner Training Programs for Families of People with Dementia: A Systematic Review. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad095  

 

Host: Professor Bronwyn Hemsley 

Guests: Naomi Folder and Gwenda Darling

Producer: Ali Aitken

Dementia often changes a person&rsquo;s communication while also increasing their need for connection and support.&nbsp;In this episode of &lsquo;What&rsquo;s Got Us Talking&hellip;&rsquo;, we&nbsp;explore the impact of communication changes in dementia, and the important role speech pathologists play in enabling more successful communication and connection.
&nbsp;
Resources:
Dementia Australia:&nbsp; Talking to someone with dementia <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/living-dementia/staying-connected/talking-someone-dementia">https://www.dementia.org.au/living-dementia/staying-connected/talking-someone-dementia</a>
Speech Pathology Australia Factsheet on Dementia and Communication:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/common/Uploaded%252520files/CommunicationHub/Fact-Sheets/Dementia%252520and%252520communication%252520FINAL.pdf">https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/common/Uploaded%20files/CommunicationHub/Fact-Sheets/Dementia%20and%20communication%20FINAL.pdf</a>
Speech Pathology Australia Dementia Practice Guideline: Working with People with Lived Experience of Dementia&nbsp;<a href="https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Shared_Content/Smart-Suite/Smart-Library/Public/Smart-Library-View.aspx?resource=920">https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Shared_Content/Smart-Suite/Smart-Library/Public/Smart-Library-View.aspx?resource=920</a>
Systematic Review of Communication Partner Training Programs for Families of People with Dementia (Open Access) Folder, N., Power, E., Rietdijk, R., Christensen, I., Togher, L., &amp; Parker, D. (2023). The Effectiveness and Characteristics of Communication Partner Training Programs for Families of People with Dementia: A Systematic Review. The Gerontologist.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad095">https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad095</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Host: Professor Bronwyn Hemsley&nbsp;
Guests: Naomi Folder and Gwenda Darling
Producer: Ali Aitken

Dementia & Communication for Connection: The Vital Role of Speech Pathologists for Support

In this episode of “What’s Got Us Talking …” we explore the dangers of facilitated communication and variants Spelling to Communicate and Spellers Method. We outline the importance of recognising an individual’s communication rights and their need to access a method of communication that reflects their own thoughts, and not those of the facilitator. 

Facilitated Communication and variants (Supported Typing, Letterboarding, Spelling to Communicate / Spellers Method) are increasingly being used due to:

(a) growing numbers of speech-language pathologists and clinics delivering FC/S2C services; and 

(b) promotion in The Telepathy Tapes (Seasons 1 and 2), which dangerously and incorrectly interpret failed message passing tests as pseudoscientific telepathy rather than being evidence of facilitator control over the messages produced. 

This episode features some of the authors of a new paper outlining the communication rights of individuals exposed to the dangers of facilitated communication and variants (Spelling to Communicate, S2C, Spellers Method), listed below. 

Outline of Communication Rights and Authorship Assessment in FC/RPM/Spellers (Open Access) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23297018.2025.2544116

Hemsley, B., Beals, K., Lang, R., Schlosser, R. W., Shane,  H. Simmons, W., Skinner, S., & Todd, J. (2025). Safeguarding the communication rights of minimally- or non-speaking people who are vulnerable to Facilitated Communication, Rapid Prompting (Spellers method) and variants. Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 1-21.

Systematic Review of Facilitated Communication (Open Access) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2396941518821570

Hemsley, B., Bryant, L., Schlosser, R. W., Shane, H. C., Lang, R., Paul, D., Banajee, M., & Ireland, M. (2019). Systematic review of facilitated communication 2014–2018 finds no new evidence that messages delivered using facilitated communication are authored by the person with disability. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941518821570 (Original work published 2018)

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Article 16 Freedom from Exploitation, Violence and Abuse: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/crpd/article-16-freedom-from-exploitation-violence-and-abuse

Article 21 Freedom of Expression and Opinion and Access to Information: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/crpd/article-21-freedom-of-expression-and-opinion-and-access-to-information

Website and YouTube resources: Blog posts, videos, critiques of studies, and lists of organisations with position statements opposing FC/RPM

https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@fcisnotscience

 

POSITION STATEMENTS on FC/RPM/S2C/Spellers

American Association of Speech Language Hearing:

ASHA Position Statements on Facilitated Communication https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00352/

ASHA Position Statement on Rapid Prompting Method (Spelling to Communicate, S2C, Spellers Method) https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00351/?srsltid=AfmBOopseOn5HhRP7E0er6QJYNt97hjImlHsPcb9S2MUc9Qud8X4Mwdp

ASHA Evidence Map on Systematic Review of Facilitated Communication https://apps.asha.org/EvidenceMaps/Articles/ArticleSummary/75d47271-e474-ee11-814b-005056834e2b

Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability - ASID Position Statement on Facilitated Communication and Rapid Prompting Method https://asid.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Sept-2024-Final-Position-Statement-on-FC-and-RPM-13-July-202475.pdf

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists  https://www.rcslt.org/members/delivering-quality-services/facilitated-communication/#section-2

 

Host: Professor Bronwyn Hemsley 

Guests: Dr Katherine Beals, Dr Jeffrey Chan and Professor Karen Nankervis

Producer: Ali Aitken

In this episode of &ldquo;What&rsquo;s Got Us Talking &hellip;&rdquo; we explore the dangers of facilitated communication and variants Spelling to Communicate and Spellers Method. We outline the importance of recognising an individual&rsquo;s communication rights and their need to access a method of communication that reflects their own thoughts, and not those of the facilitator.&nbsp;
Facilitated Communication and variants (Supported Typing, Letterboarding, Spelling to Communicate / Spellers Method) are increasingly being used due to:
(a) growing numbers of speech-language pathologists and clinics delivering FC/S2C services; and&nbsp;
(b) promotion in The Telepathy Tapes (Seasons 1 and 2), which dangerously and incorrectly interpret failed message passing tests as pseudoscientific telepathy rather than being evidence of facilitator control over the messages produced.&nbsp;
This episode features some of the authors of a new paper outlining the communication rights of individuals exposed to the dangers of facilitated communication and variants (Spelling to Communicate, S2C, Spellers Method), listed below.&nbsp;
Outline of Communication Rights and Authorship Assessment in FC/RPM/Spellers (Open Access)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23297018.2025.2544116">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23297018.2025.2544116</a>
Hemsley, B., Beals, K., Lang, R., Schlosser, R. W., Shane,&nbsp; H. Simmons, W., Skinner, S., &amp; Todd, J. (2025). Safeguarding the communication rights of minimally- or non-speaking people who are vulnerable to Facilitated Communication, Rapid Prompting (Spellers method) and variants. Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 1-21.
Systematic Review of Facilitated Communication (Open Access)&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2396941518821570">https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2396941518821570</a>
Hemsley, B., Bryant, L., Schlosser, R. W., Shane, H. C., Lang, R., Paul, D., Banajee, M., &amp; Ireland, M. (2019). Systematic review of facilitated communication 2014&ndash;2018 finds no new evidence that messages delivered using facilitated communication are authored by the person with disability. Autism &amp; Developmental Language Impairments, 3. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941518821570">https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941518821570</a> (Original work published 2018)
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Article 16 Freedom from Exploitation, Violence and Abuse:&nbsp;<a href="https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/crpd/article-16-freedom-from-exploitation-violence-and-abuse">https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/crpd/article-16-freedom-from-exploitation-violence-and-abuse</a>
Article 21 Freedom of Expression and Opinion and Access to Information:&nbsp;<a href="https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/crpd/article-21-freedom-of-expression-and-opinion-and-access-to-information">https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/crpd/article-21-freedom-of-expression-and-opinion-and-access-to-information</a>
Website and YouTube resources: Blog posts, videos, critiques of studies, and lists of organisations with position statements opposing FC/RPM
<a href="https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/">https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@fcisnotscience">https://www.youtube.com/@fcisnotscience</a>
&nbsp;
POSITION STATEMENTS on FC/RPM/S2C/Spellers
American Association of Speech Language Hearing:
ASHA Position Statements on Facilitated Communication&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00352/">https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00352/</a>
ASHA Position Statement on Rapid Prompting Method (Spelling to Communicate, S2C, Spellers Method)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00351/?srsltid=AfmBOopseOn5HhRP7E0er6QJYNt97hjImlHsPcb9S2MUc9Qud8X4Mwdp">https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00351/?srsltid=AfmBOopseOn5HhRP7E0er6QJYNt97hjImlHsPcb9S2MUc9Qud8X4Mwdp</a>
ASHA Evidence Map on Systematic Review of Facilitated Communication&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.asha.org/EvidenceMaps/Articles/ArticleSummary/75d47271-e474-ee11-814b-005056834e2b">https://apps.asha.org/EvidenceMaps/Articles/ArticleSummary/75d47271-e474-ee11-814b-005056834e2b</a>
Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability - ASID Position Statement on Facilitated Communication and Rapid Prompting Method&nbsp;<a href="https://asid.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Sept-2024-Final-Position-Statement-on-FC-and-RPM-13-July-202475.pdf">https://asid.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Sept-2024-Final-Position-Statement-on-FC-and-RPM-13-July-202475.pdf</a>
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rcslt.org/members/delivering-quality-services/facilitated-communication/%23section-2">https://www.rcslt.org/members/delivering-quality-services/facilitated-communication/#section-2</a>
&nbsp;
Host: Professor Bronwyn Hemsley&nbsp;
Guests: Dr Katherine Beals, Dr Jeffrey Chan and Professor Karen Nankervis
Producer:&nbsp;Ali Aitken

 Safeguarding Communication Rights: Sounding the Alarm on Facilitated Communication / Spelling to Communicate

Recognising the rising popularity of GLP/NLA, we bring the results of a systematic review into the conversation and explore some reasons for its rapid growth despite the absence of research evidence.

Resources: 

Key paper: 


Bryant, L., Bowen, C., Grove, R. et al. (2024) Systematic review of interventions based on Gestalt Language Processing and Natural Language Acquisition (GLP/NLA): Clinical implications of absence of evidence and cautions for clinicians and parents. Curr Dev Disord Rep 12, 1–14 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-024-00312-zhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40474-024-00312-z 

Websites for evidence-based practices


Autism Evidence and Practice (The National clearinghouse, NCAEP, USA). https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/


Australian Autism CRE (Centre for Research Excellence) evidence tables https://www.autismcrc.com.au/interventions-evidence/summary-umbrella-review/evidence-table

 

Host: Prof Bronwyn Hemsley 

Guests: Dr Lucy Bryant and Dr Caroline Bowen, AM.

Produced by Laura Corrigan, thanks to 2SER

Recognising the rising popularity of GLP/NLA, we bring the results of a systematic review into the conversation and explore some reasons for its rapid growth despite the absence of research evidence.
Resources:&nbsp;
Key paper:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Bryant, L., Bowen, C., Grove, R. et al. (2024) Systematic review of interventions based on Gestalt Language Processing and Natural Language Acquisition (GLP/NLA): Clinical implications of absence of evidence and cautions for clinicians and parents. Curr Dev Disord Rep 12, 1&ndash;14 (2024). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-024-00312-z">https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-024-00312-z</a> <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40474-024-00312-z">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40474-024-00312-z</a>&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
Websites for evidence-based practices
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Autism Evidence and Practice (The National clearinghouse, NCAEP, USA). <a href="https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/">https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Australian Autism CRE (Centre for Research Excellence) evidence tables <a href="https://www.autismcrc.com.au/interventions-evidence/summary-umbrella-review/evidence-table">https://www.autismcrc.com.au/interventions-evidence/summary-umbrella-review/evidence-table</a>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Host: Prof Bronwyn Hemsley&nbsp;
Guests: Dr Lucy Bryant and Dr Caroline Bowen, AM.
Produced by Laura Corrigan, thanks to 2SER

Machines Helping Humans: The Possibilities & Pitfalls of VR / AR in Speech Pathology

What’s Got Us Talking: A UTS Speech Pathology Podcast

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What’s Got Us Talking: A UTS Speech Pathology Podcast

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