Can ChatGPT Help Speech Language Pathologists? Check Out Our Experiments!
When the world was introduced to AI, it opened doors to countless opportunities. We could find information, summarise research articles and even listen to them as podcasts, in seconds! With its growing integration into healthcare for diagnosis, treatment and patient care, ChatGPT is also finding a place in speech therapy. Among many other functions that can be crafted to the requirements of a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), ChatGPT can also assist with documentation and generating tailored therapy materials. In this article, we explore ChatGPT’s potential in speech and language evaluations as well as therapy.
We were curious to know the extent of knowledge ChatGPT 4o had on speech therapy, and so we asked:
Prompt: How will you know if a child needs speech therapy?
Response: A child may need speech therapy if they show delays in understanding or using language, have unclear speech, struggle to express needs, or have difficulty with social communication, like making eye contact or taking turns.
As ChatGPT exhibited a good understanding of the need for speech therapy, we then wanted to know how accurately it could determine the language age of a child. To explore this, we created a hypothetical baseline for a 3-year-old child with Autism and asked both a Speech Language Pathologist and ChatGPT to estimate the language age of the child using a standardized tool.
Prompt: I will provide baseline language skills for a child with Autism. The child understands the names of some common objects (water, ball, milk, remote, phone). He follows simple commands with gestural cues. He leads the parent to his needs. He has not begun using words to communicate yet. Determine the language age of this child based on the test tool that was uploaded.
Response: The evaluation carried out by ChatGPT is represented below in the table.
Formal evaluation carried out by the SLP using a standardized test tool resulted in the receptive language age and the expressive language age to be between 8-9 months.
From the response, we observed that the findings of expressive language age correlated between the SLP and ChatGPT, but there were discrepancies in the estimation of receptive language age. The prompt stated that the child followed simple commands with gestural cues, and ChatGPT had misinterpreted this and matched it with the test item on following commands without gestural cues. It also assumed that the child had begun comprehending principal body parts, leading to inaccuracies in determining the exact receptive language age. This finding highlights the need for using clinical expertise in interpreting language assessments generated by AI.
Subsequently, we assessed its potential with various aspects of clinical documentation.
Prompt: I must write a formal evaluation report for a language assessment for an autistic child. Generate an assessment template for language assessment with the necessary case history using reliable sources like ASHA?
ChatGPT could easily generate a template with sections for case history, observations, assessment results, diagnosis and recommendations. To our surprise, this template could also be converted into a PDF, which can be modified and reused for our clientele. Similarly, it could also generate templates for session notes and summary reports. Formal letters catering to different needs, like the conducting camps and the purchase of therapy materials, could also be generated.
Following this, we explored ChatGPT’s application in therapy and we were truly fascinated by its potential! For instance, we asked for suggestions for activity ideas for a child, and it generated 7 activities. Here is an example,
Prompt: I am working on the comprehension of verbal requests for a child. He is 4 and minimally verbal. He is visually and auditorily seeking. Can you think like an SLP and give me activities and ideas for his session?
Response: Object-Based Commands (with real items)
Materials: A tray with 4–6 familiar toys (e.g., ball, car, drum, blocks).
Activity: Place the toys in front of him and say, “Give me the car” while holding up a picture of the car (fade visual over time).
Why it works: He is visually and auditorily seeking – uses real objects and picture cues with clear verbal models
It not only offered suggestions but could also reason why each activity would be effective, proving to be a great tool to brainstorm ideas and plan activities. Beyond ideas for activities, you can also obtain toy recommendations based on a child’s sensory preference or generate vocabulary lists, picture cards, social stories and even AAC boards. These resources can be customised to reflect the child’s interests, like action cards with Peppa Pig characters. Furthermore, you can also discover fun, interactive games to build social skills, which come in handy while looking for ways to engage children.
During our exploration, we also noticed some inaccuracies in the generated materials. For example, a visual schedule generated had pictures that did not correspond to their actions and phonemic errors were observed in word lists that were generated in regional languages. Hence, exercising caution and reviewing the generated materials before using them in therapy is mandatory.
Examples of inaccuracies noted in the visual schedule - images and text did not correlate.
ChatGPT has proved to be a great tool in assisting with documentation, brainstorming ideas and generating therapy material. However, it is important to apply our clinical expertise in determining the appropriateness and accuracy of the generated information. If you are looking for additional prompts or more ways to incorporate ChatGPT into sessions, connect with us for guidance and support.
Dhivya Sarratha Ramamoorthy (MSLP)
Consultant Sr. Speech Language Pathologist
Dimensions Centre for Child Development
Chitra Thadathil MSc (Speech & Hearing)
Founding Director & Lead Speech Language Pathologist
Dimensions Centre for Child Development
References
Ccc-Slp, L. a. Y. M. (2025, January 19). How to use ChatGPT for speech therapy in 2025. EatSpeakThink.com. https://eatspeakthink.com/chatgpt-for-speech-therapy-2025/
Suh, H., Dangol, A., Meadan, H., Miller, C. A., & Kientz, J. A. (2024, June). Opportunities and challenges for AI-based support for speech-language pathologists. In Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work (pp. 1-14).
Surelo, K. Y., & Mytsyk, H. M. (2024). CHATGPT: OPPORTUNITIES AND BARRIERS FOR SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY. Інноваційний розвиток сучасної науки та освіти, 68.
Using ChatGPT to create treatment materials. (2024). [Dataset]. In Default Digital Object Group. https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.eoai.29032024.chatgbt-therapy-materials-slp.26