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Speech Recognition Software for Special Education
Relief for the Struggling Student
 For those who truly struggle to communicate in writing because of a learning disability such as dyslexia, speech recognition software has the ability to help. Why do we say this?
- First, we have been selling speech recognition accessories to special education teachers for a number of years now and get nothing but positive feedback. Special education teachers are discovering that it works.
- Second, there is scientific literature to support its effectiveness. As long ago as 1999, Raskind and Higgins published a study in the Annals of Dyslexia showing that use of speech recognition technology led to significant improvements in word recognition (p < 0.0001), spelling (p < 0.002) and reading comprehension (p < 0.01). Click here to download study.
- Numerous case studies have documented the benefits of speech recognition software in educational settings:
- Landmark College, in Putney VT, which is one of the only accredited colleges in the United States designed for students with dyslexia, ADHD and other learning disabilities, has found voice recognition software to be a useful tool in enabling greater levels of independence and success in all forms of student writing. Read more...
- A school district in Brampton, Ontario has shared the encouraging result pertaining to their use of speech recognition software in elementary school kids. Read more ...
The Requirements:
What does it take to bring such technology to your child or your student? Here are the basic requirements:
Equipment (hardware):
1. A relatively recent vintage computer is needed. The bare bones requirements are a Windows based PC with the specifications shown below. For the average student, a laptop computer will be far more practical than a desktop unit. In general, faster processors are associated with better performance in terms of speed, but not necessarily any difference in accuracy. At least 2 MB of RAM is recommended.
- CPU: minimum 1 GHz Intel® Pentium® or equivalent AMD processor or 1.66 GHz Intel® Atom® processor. We recommend 1.8 GHz Intel Dual Core or equivalent AMD processor. (IMPORTANT: SSE2 instruction set required)
- Processor Cache: minimum 512 KB. We recommend 2 MB.
- Free hard disk space: 2.5 GB (2.8 GB for localized non-English versions)
2. A good quality microphone: Dragon NaturallySpeaking is packaged with a starter microphone which will give reasonable results and we recommend that you start with this microphone when making an assessment as to whether speech recognition software is a workable solution for your student. If it works, though, but accuracy isn't quite to the level you expect, then we suggest that you consider upgrading to a better microphone. Some of our favorites include:
- Sennheiser ME3/Andrea USB combo: this is a wired microphone that wraps around the back of the head and does not include speakers. It interfaces with the computer via any available USB port. This microphone gives better accuracy and provides better external noise rejection than any other microphone we sell. Cost is about $182.
- Andrea NC 181VM-USB: this microphone represents a step up from the microphone packaged with the software, but is considerably less expensive.
Software:
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium Edition: In our opinion, this is the best choice. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a highly refined speech recognition product that has been designed for different age groups, different regional accents, and a variety of special uses. It will work with a plugged in microphone, wireless microphone or digital recorder. It offers a wide variety of extra functionality which will allow tailoring the software to your student.
Other Speech Recognition Software: Although we recommend Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium Edition for the average student (shown below) because it offers many advantages over the speech recognition program built into Windows 7 operating system and some of the earlier Microsoft Office products, these microsoft products can also be used.
Training
Although accuracy is amazing good out of the box, your student will definitely benefit by spending some time getting to know the software and being trained how to take advantage of some of the functionality. There are several ways in which this can happen:
- Virtually everything can be learned by the student, teacher or parent by reading the User Guide, but this is often a slow and laborious process which may not be feasible for the kid with a learning disability
- Several DVD teaching series are available. We recommend that you visit our Training Page to see some of these products.
- Read our very brief Accuracy Improvement Guide for tips on improving accuracy
- We offer personalized training via the internet which can be set up at a convenient time and which is charged at an hourly rate of $100. For the average student, 1-2 hours of training will give them a good start. We would consider this a last resort for most situations and recommend the above methods first. For information on personalized training, please contact mitze@speechrecsolutions.com
Recommended Products:
Dragon Premium 11
 Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium speech recognition software lets you control your digital world by voice — three times faster than typing. Turn ideas into text at the speed of thought. Tell your PC what to do and it does it. Create documents, send email, control applications, and navigate the Web — just by talking. Use a digital voice recorder and transcribe the audio files back at your PC. Dragon is your key to less stress and more success!
Features:
- Up to 99% speech recognition accuracy right out of the box
- Creation of documents, reports, spreadsheets, or messages just by speaking
- Ability to compose emails or search the Web for information faster than ever with Dragon Voice Shortcuts
- Nuance Text-to-Speech technology that reads on-screen text in human-sounding synthesized speech
- Dragon Voice Shortcuts that let you create email, schedule appointments, and search your desktop using simple voice commands
- Creation of custom commands for inserting frequently used text and graphics or automating routine data entry
- Ability to use Dragon with a Nuance-approved digital voice recorder and automatically transcribe your recorded voice
- Support for multiple audio input devices; use Dragon with a wireless microphone, including Bluetooth
- Support for Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, and virtually any other Windows application
- Audio playback of your dictation with the associated transcription highlighted on the screen for easier proofreading and correction
- Ability to import/export custom word lists
- Support for custom voice commands to quickly insert frequently used text and graphics
Additional Information:
Comments: this is the recommended version of Dragon for most casual users and students with learning disabilities. It uses the same speech engine as the more expensive versions, but lacks some of the advanced professional (medical and legal) vocabularies.
MSRP: $199
Our Price:$
185.00
Academic Pricing: If you are purchasing for a school and want information about academic pricing, please contact mitze@speechrecsolutions.com
Sennheiser ME3 Combination Package
Recommended package for best speech recognition results!
 For predictably great results we recommend using the Sennheiser ME3 with the Andrea USB sound adapter. This is our best selling microphone and the one we use ourselves.
To make the purchase of this relatively expensive hardware a bit more bearable, we offer special savings when you purchase all three of the main items in this package.
Included in the package:
- Sennheiser ME3 Microphone
- Andrea USB Adapter
- 210D Nylon Microphone Storage Bag
- Set-up Instructions
Comments: We believe that with suitable hardware and good enunciation, this package will offer the best accuracy and unrivaled noise cancellation. This is the microphone to which all others are compared.
Special Combo with Sennheiser ME3 (standard audio plug) and Andrea USB Sound Adapter.
MSRP: $247.95
Our Special Price: $
189.00
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 If your budget is extremely tight, consider purchasing a "barely used" version of this product from our stock of returned items. Learn more ...
Say I Can DNS 11 Video Guide: Complete Three-Volume Set
 The Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Video Guide is a CD-ROM-based video presentation that runs on your computer, designed for both new and experienced users of Dragon software. In the Video Guide, author Dan Newman guides you visually through key topics and skills, demonstrating expert techniques and insider secrets. Get up and running quickly and work efficiently and effectively.
Watch just what you need and skip right to the material you want with thirty-three lessons covering all Dragon NaturallySpeaking topics and skills. Dan shows you how to fix mistakes quickly, automate tedious tasks, browse the Web hands-free, boost accuracy, and more. Topics covered include:
- Key techniques to boost accuracy
- Automating your work with command macros
- Format text and browse the Web by voice
- Create custom voice-activated forms
- How to dictate and correct most effectively
- Dictate with a portable digital recorder
- Top tips for healthy computing
- ...and much more!
Total running time for all three volumes - 4 hours
MSRP: $149.95
Our Price: $
139.95
Additional Resources:
We recognize that speech recognition software may be only a small part of assisting the child or adult with learning disabilities and hope some of the additional resources listed here may further assist you. We very much welcome you to assist us in adding to this list by emailing your thought or suggestion to mitze@speechrecsolutions.com
- Livescribe Pen: this is a unique system which includes a pen containing an optical scanner and audio recording technology that when used with specially designed notebooks allows you to record both your hand-written notes and the audio (instructor's words) at the same time. After notes are taken, you can hear the corresponding audio signal simply by touching the pen to the place of interest on the notebook. We have used this device and consider it to be an ideal note-taking device for anyone, especially the individual with difficulty writing or comprehending. Visit livescribe site. For an amazing demonstration of how this can help, click here. Please note that Speech Recognition Solutions has absolutely no relationship with LiveScribe - we just think their product is great!
Links:
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