New Irish language tool makes school more accessible for autistic children

A new Irish-language tool developed by researchers at Trinity College Dublin is allowing autistic children from Irish-language communities to participate more fully in school and their communities.

“Geabaire,” the Irish word for “chatterbox,” is a symbol-based tool that allows children who are non-speaking or minimally speaking to generate Irish words and sentences that are then spoken aloud by synthetic voices.

The tool is a “game changer for autistic children from Irish-language communities,” according to professors Neasa Ní Chiaráin and Emily Barnes of Trinity College Dublin, who are leading the Geabaire project at Trinity’s ABAIR research initiative.

The tool is being made available for free to coincide with the opening of 24 autism classes in Irish-medium primary schools this September. It is available to schools, users and their families.

Geabaire is the first robust symbol-based communication support tool designed specifically for the Irish language. It was built with a deep understanding of the language’s structure and dialects.

The Geabaire project also offers a model for other languages. As one of the first Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems designed from the ground up for a minority EU language, it demonstrates how speech and language technologies can serve minority and endangered language communities worldwide.

Geabaire began when Julia Cummins, the mother of two minimally speaking autistic children, contacted researchers at Trinity’s ABAIR research initiative to ask whether an Irish-language version of a speech-generating app could be developed.

“Our daughter could hear Irish all around her, but the English-language communication tool she used could not speak it for her. Once she enrolled in her local Gaelscoil, I knew that she really needed an Irish-language equivalent to participate fully in the language of her school, family and community.

“Initially, we tried to simply adapt an English-language system. It quickly became clear that Irish could not be accommodated adequately—Irish has its own grammar, word order, idioms and dialects. We needed a communication system designed around the structures of Irish and its dialects from the outset.”

Cummins soon became involved in developing the new tool with linguistic, education and technology experts at Trinity. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. examining how the development of this Irish-language AAC system can provide principles that may be transferable to other minoritized and morphologically complex languages.

Unmet need in Irish-speaking community

Geabaire addresses “a genuine unmet need within the Irish-speaking community,” said Ní Chiaráin, an assistant professor in the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences.

“Geabaire ensures that children with complex communication needs can engage from day one of their educational journey. More broadly, Geabaire helps ensure that some of the most vulnerable members of the Irish-speaking community are not left behind as Irish speech and language technologies continue to evolve. It’s a powerful example of research combining with technological innovation to deliver social impact and improve language rights.”

Barnes, an assistant professor in the School of Education, said, “This month, 24 new autism classes opened in gaelscoileanna around Ireland. Access to Irish-medium education is just the first step. True inclusion is being able to participate meaningfully in the life of the classroom and the school, and this is where Geabaire has a key role.

“Initial research shows how Geabaire is essential to accessing the curriculum and building friendships for children who use AAC. Every child is entitled to participate in Irish-medium education, and Geabaire supports the enactment of these linguistic and educational rights.”

“Ultimately, the success of a language is measured not only by the number of people who speak it, but by who is enabled to belong within it,” Ní Chiaráin added.

“This is particularly important for Irish and other minority languages—they survive only when families use them in the home and communities keep choosing to use them every day. Every child, including those with complex communication needs, should have the opportunity to grow up hearing and using their own language in homes, schools and communities.

“Too often, families are advised to change their home language because adequate tools don’t exist to support them in their language. Geabaire is a step toward ensuring children don’t have to change their language environment to access communication support.”

The rollout of Geabaire is being supported by Gaeloideachas, the national organization supporting the development of Irish-medium education. Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, chief executive of Gaeloideachas, said, “Geabaire will be really life-changing for children and young people being educated through Irish. From naíonra onwards, it will give them another voice—helping them express themselves in another way, connect with others, take part and feel that they truly belong.”

“By making AAC available as Gaeilge, Geabaire is opening new ways for minimally speaking or non-speaking children to communicate, celebrate their identity and thrive in Irish-medium education. Everybody deserves to have their voice heard, and Geabaire will help make that possible.”

Real-world Irish-language tools for all

Based in the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, ABAIR develops speech and language technologies and provides them to the Irish-speaking community. The project is led by Ní Chiaráin and professor Ailbhe Ní Chasaide.

ABAIR’s suite of real-world tools includes Irish text-to-speech technology (with regional dialects), automatic speech recognition, Irish-specific large language models trained on Irish-language data and cultural knowledge, and applications for education and accessibility, including a screen reader for people who are blind or visually impaired.

All ABAIR technologies are built to reflect the many dialects of Irish as it is lived and spoken. They are sensitive to the language’s structure, cater to different dialects and are appropriate for a range of users, including children living in Irish-language communities, professionals, learners and people with disabilities.

Although Geabaire is initially intended for autistic students in Irish-medium education, it could benefit a broader range of users, including autistic children in English-medium schools who are learning Irish, Ní Chiaráin said. Lessons from the Geabaire initiative could support the development of speech- and language-technology applications for other minority languages.

Who’s behind this story?

Lisa Lock

BA art history, MA material culture. Former museum editor, paramedic, and transplant coordinator. Editing for Science X since 2021.

Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master’s in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X’s editorial success.

Full profile →