LENA Pro Q & A

The LENA System is the world’s first automatic language collection and analysis tool for speech language professionals and parents. (LENA stands for language environment analysis.) A revolutionary tool, LENA provides real data on a child’s language environment, including estimations of Adult Words, Conversational Turns, Child Vocalizations, and TV and Electronic Sounds in a child’s natural language environment, and a breakdown of different elements of the Audio Environment. LENA also includes Automatic Vocalization Assessment (AVA) and LENA Developmental Snapshot assessments that measure expressive and receptive language skills.Read more about the LENA Reports here.

The LENA System is a tool for professionals, researchers, and parents to seamlessly gather child speech and language environment data by utilizing automatic processing abilities. LENA Foundation currently offers four products. LENA Pro, its flagship product, is intended for use by speech language professionals such as speech-language pathologists (SLPs), pediatricians, and researchers. A restricted-use version of LENA Pro, the LENA Pro Graduate Student Version is designed for graduate students. The LENA Language Assessment, a pay-per-use service, is a quick, easy, and cost-effective way for professionals and parents to tap into LENA Pro technology. And LENA Home is for parents.

LENA Foundation hopes to launch a LENA System product that is capable of helping stroke victims suffering from aphasia regain their speaking ability. Currently, the foundation is seeking to collaborate with researchers who are interested in furthering LENA technology for this end. If interested, please call 303-545-9696.

The LENA System allows you to easily collect and process language environment data for children ages 2 months to 48 months.

The LENA System includes three main components: the LENA software, the LENA Digital Language Processor (DLP), and LENA Clothing. For help determining the number of DLPs or clothing items you need, please call 1.866.503.9918 or Download the Purchasing Questionnairehere.

For LENA Pro, we recommend purchasing a dedicated computer and additional hard disk space to back up all of the audio files. Depending on the audio environment (car rides, daycare, and a quiet nap all have differing audio qualities), each 12- to 16-hour audio file may take between 2 to 16 hours* to process (average time is approximately four hours).

Recommendations for optimal processing (in addition to meeting other Minimum System Requirements below):

1. A dedicated PC (2008 model or higher) with 4 GB memory and 3.0 GHz processor
2. 500 GB local hard disk space* plus equivalent disk space (can be external such as USB connected) for backups

Minimum System Requirements:
Processor Speed (Desktop): 2.2 GHz
Processor Speed (Laptop): 1.3 GHz
Memory: 512 MB
Screen Resolution: 1024 x 768
Hard Disk Space: Recommend 10 GB of free space*
Video Card: High-color 32-bit
Operating System: Windows XP or Vista

Currently, this software is not Mac-compatible.

* Note: One 16-hour audio file=500 MB. If using the Export feature for Transcriber or CLAN, an exported wav file for a 16-hour audio file will be approximately 2 GB.

Not at this time.

Windows Vista:

1. Open System by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, and then clicking System.
2. Under System, you can view the system type.

Windows XP:

1. Open System by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, and then clicking System.
2. The operating system appears as follows:
   • For a 64-bit version OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Version <Year> appears under System.
   • For a 32-bit version OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Version <Year> appears under System.

The pocket in the LENA Clothing is made from specific materials and provides secure placement of the LENA DLP. The special material allows the software to collect and analyze audio based on pitch and distance, and other acoustic properties. Placement is critical to the identification of Key Child or Other children.

Yes. We offer volume pricing for customers who need five DLPs or more. The discount is as follows:

• 1 to 4 DLPs (no discount)
• 5 to 9 DLPs (5% off)
• 10 to 19 DLPs (8% off)
• 20+ DLPs (10% off )

Absolutely. The LENA software automatically segments and identifies the audio source (e.g., Key Child, Adult Male, Adult Female, Other Child). And when used with Transcriber freeware, the software can help you substantially reduce your transcription time.

As a researcher, you have enough on your plate without worrying about your LENA Pro Software running smoothly. Should you run into a problem, our technical support team will be ready and waiting to get you back on track. Protect and streamline your research with this invaluable support – and continue moving forward.
Features:
Technical Support

• Technical support is available by phone or email
  Free Software Updates, which include
  • Improvements and additions made to the normative database
  • Ongoing software development to help ensure that LENA will continue to run smoothly on your Microsoft operating system
  • Feature additions to reports and roll-over data
  Free Software Training
  • Live webinar training conducted by our professional development team

Maintenance and technical Support is a required purchase for your first year of software use and is included in the total price of the system. (Software and support can be billed separately.) You’re not required to purchase another year of maintenance and support after the first year.Not included: Software upgrades are not included in the maintenance and support package. An upgrade is defined as a major new release, such as moving from a LENA version 2.0 to version 3.0.

The LENA Digital Language Processor (DLP)is an unobtrusive recording device that weighs 2 ounces and captures up to 16 hours of audio. The DLP incorporates a powerful microprocessor with advanced compression and audio components similar to hearing aids costing over $1,000. To determine how many DLPs you will need, please complete our Purchasing Questionnaire or call 1.866.503.9918.

Yes. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your LENA System, you may return it within 30 days from the original purchase date for a full refund.

No. You cannot purchase the DLP kit only. You will need a software license, DLP, and clothing to have a fully functional system.

TRS is for Transcriber software. CHA is for CLAN freeware software. CLAN was developed as part of the CHILDES (CHILD Language Data Exchange System) project at Carnegie-Mellon University. To download a free copy of Transcriber software, go to: http://sourceforge.net/index.php and type “Transcriber” in the top “Search” box. To download a free copy of CLAN software, go to: http://childes.psy.cmu.edu/clan/

Singing is detected as a human speaker (Adult Words) if it is a human’s voice singing, and not electronic music in the background. If two or more people are singing together then it will be detected as overlap. If the Key Child is singing then it will be counted in Child Vocalizations, if using LENA Pro. The LENA software does not count actual words the children are speaking, because babies can vocalize before they are able to speak words. LENA focuses on a child’s overall vocalizations - the critical component of speech development, similar to what speech professionals refer to as “utterances.” These vocalizations, defined as child speech sounds (words or babbles) of any length separated by 300 milliseconds of silence after speech, may be long or short and they may provide information about the child’s linguistic sophistication.

The DLP fits into a hidden pocket in the LENA Clothing, where it is in close proximity to the child’s mouth. This makes it possible for the DLP to detect child speech, even if it is a whisper. If an adult is speaking quietly to the child, their words may or may not be picked up by the software, depending on how close they are to the child.

It is not recommended. The DLP and LENA software are designed to distinguish natural language environments from electronic sounds, such as existing audio recordings, and cannot accurately assess pre-recorded language environments.

The LENA System is designed to be used for an entire 12-hour to 16-hour day; all reported reliability information is based on 12-hour samples. Although it is likely that LENA will either miss some words or add extra words in any 5-minute segment, the reason LENA is so reliable for day-long recordings is due to the fact that erroneous word deletions and insertions cancel each other out over longer periods of time. A more detailed explanation of this process can be found in the “Reliability Over Time” section of LENA Foundation Technical Report LTR-05. This section indicates that short recordings (e.g., less than two hours) can show word count error rates as high as 25 percent. However, after two hours, the balance of insertions and deletions reduce the error rate to less than 5 percent. Thus, to reliably test the accuracy of the Adult Word Count measurement of the LENA System, it is recommended that test recordings and transcriptions be at least two hours long.

The exported audio file will be segmented by speaker ID. This feature will reduce your transcription time by roughly 30 percent.

Speaker Identification refers to the source of the sound. The DLP and software are able to recognize and process Speaker IDs and segment the audio into broad categories.

Vocalization activity block types are categorizations that denote who is active in the language environment. Examples include:

Key Child Only
Key Child with Adult Female/Male
Key Child with Other Child
Key Child with Other Child and Adult Female/Male
Adult Female Only
Adult Female with Key Child
Adult Female with Other Child
Adult Female with Key Child and Other Child
Adult Male Only
Adult Male with Key Child
Adult Male with Other Child
Adult Male with Key Child and Other Child
Other Child Only
Other Child with Key Child
Other Child with Adult Female/Male
Other Child with Key Child and Adult Female/Male (Turns)
Other Child with Key Child and Adult Female/Male (No Turns)
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Our professional development team offers live webinar training.