Automatic Vocalization Assessment (AVA)

-obtain trusted results, faster

Use the LENA System’s featured AVA assessment tool to experience an all-new confidence in your results. The AVA feature is included in the LENA Pro and LENA Research versions.

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How will AVA benefit me?

• Professionals will:
  • Conduct an assessment without leaving the office
  • Collect up to a 16-hour language sample, with no observer effect
  • Compare in-home behavior with in-lab behavior
• Children will:
  • Be more comfortable in their natural home environment, which will produce more accurate results.
• Parents will:
  • Feel more confident in the assessment results
  • See a visual picture of their child’s language assessment with the LENA Reports.

What is AVA?

AVA (Automatic Vocalizational Assessment) is an automatic assessment tool, based on the analysis of a child’s audio recording. AVA is not a replacement for the current human assessments – rather, it’s an additional tool to help with preliminary screening and evaluation. AVA is designed to be used alongside professional human observation and to provide the most complete picture of a child’s language abilities.

For example:

• LENA generated AVA Standard Score: 85
  • This could indicate a child having a below-average developmental age. Further assessments may be necessary.
• LENA generated AVA Standard Score: 115
  • This could indicate a child having an above-average developmental age. Further assessment may not be necessary.

What will AVA give me?

AVA is calculated using only clearly recognized Key-Child speech. The LENA System uses automatic speech recognition technology (ASR) to reliably identify and separate Key-Child speech from other sounds such as adult speech, television, and other children. LENA’s advanced AVA technology automatically:

• Provides a measure of a child’s expressive language and estimated developmental age.
• Calculates a standard score with high correlation (.73) to the REEL and PLS
• Provides Estimated Mean Length of Utterance (EMLU)
• Identifies children with possible expressive language delay

Why do I need AVA?

• To collect a natural language sample using the LENA DLP (The DLP can hold up to 16 hours of audio.)
• To avoid:
  • “That’s not how my child normally acts.”
  • “He was very tired – those results aren’t right.”
  • “How can you observe him for 1 hour and be sure?”
• To receive an efficient screening assessment
• AVA will save time and money, precluding the need to retest if the child is having bad day.

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