Kerala’s First Centre for Research in Communication Sciences to be Opened at NISH

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Kerala’s first Centre for Research in Communication Sciences (CRCS) will soon be opened at the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) here, seeking to enhance the holistic care and rehabilitation of the differently-abled community.

The well-equipped CRCS has been designed as a facility for higher learning and research by coalescing the Laryngeal and Articulatory Sciences and Vestibular Science labs to bring about a qualitative change in the lives of people with communication disorders.

The research programmes of CRCS will focus on empowering persons with communication disorders by helping them actively participate in the society, besides developing treatment methods and leading extensive and in- depth research for evaluating treatment results.

“CRCS is the first state-of-the art research unit that fills the void in communication sciences research in Kerala. NISH is eminently equipped to have this centre, considering the institution’s experience, facilities and highly qualified professionals at its disposal,” said NISH Executive Director M Anjana.

The centre will leverage cutting-edge technologies to measure the voice characteristics, speech clarity and directly monitor the vocal cords through high-precision tests conducted at the Laryngeal and Articulatory Sciences lab, which makes use of Stroboscopy with advanced analytical features and software like Ling Waves and Vaghmi.

The technology available in the field will help examine erroneous pronunciation, voice variations and the difference in vocal cord structure. Also, the structural and functional changes in the organs that lead to difficulties in feeding and speech clarity (eg: nasal speech) can be identified through Stroboscopy; which can be carried out for children and adults.

The main objective of the Vestibular Sciences Lab is to conduct research in Balance Disorders (dizziness) and its evaluation and rehabilitation. Reports suggest that around 40 percent of the global population has been afflicted with Balance Disorders at any stage of their life.

Vestibular problems can hinder an individual’s living standard and wholesome welfare and NISH had taken the initiative to set up the state’s first Vestibular Lab to address this problem.