Efficient and objective voice care for transgender people

Purpose and goal:

The project´s aim is to streamline and improve gender-confirming voice care for transgender people through the use of a digital speech therapy system. The system will help the patient to implement, follow and reflect on their development. It also helps the speech therapist to monitor and evaluate the patient´s development, e.g. by facilitating acoustic analyzes.

One objective is that the prototype is tested, evaluated and that the system is further developed at the end of the project. Another objective is to compile the results in a scientific article with clinical implications. Expected results and effects:

We expect that the people who test the system find that it makes it easier for them to carry out the exercises correctly and regularly. We also expect that the speech therapists who use the system will find that it facilitates patient work, e.g. through increased patient compliance and facilitated follow-up of acoustic features in patients´ voices.

Approach and implementation:

Participants will be recruited at the speech therapy clinic in Linköping, both from existing and former patient groups. The participants will be given the usual gender-confirming treatment with the speech therapy system as an aid. During the project, the participants will regularly provide feedback on the system and their patient experience. Acoustic data will be compiled and compared with patients´ eventual previous rounds of treatment.