OMSCS Alum Teams with His Family to Create App Aiding Children with Echolalia

Inspired by his son's special needs, Tarun Chawdhury (OMSCS 22) has designed an AI-powered application that helps parents and caregivers support children with echolalia and other developmental speech issues.

The patent-pending app, AI4Echolalia, earned second place in the 2024 TEDAI Hackathon in San Francisco.

Chawdhury is a graduate of Georgia Tech's Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) program. Now a part-time OMSCS instructor, Chawdury credits his education at Georgia Tech with empowering him to excel in his career and tackle pressing challenges in healthcare and accessibility. 

Chawdury's academic journey began in the early 2000s in India, where he earned a bachelor's degree in information technology. Over the years, he honed his integration and programming skills while working in the healthcare sector for Blue Shield of California and CareSource.

However, a personal motivation sparked a new direction in his career—his son's echolalia diagnosis. Determined to leverage technology to help his son and others with similar challenges, Chawdury enrolled in the OMSCS program in 2020.

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"AI and neuroscience are the future," he said, explaining how his coursework in health informatics and big data for health equipped him with the foundational skills needed to explore new artificial intelligence (AI) frontiers.

Motivated by his son's experiences with speech therapy, Chawdury envisioned a solution that could extend the benefits of treatment into the home.

Chawdury used the skills he developed through OMSCS to create AI4Echollia. The app assists children with speech delays, particularly those who struggle with echolalia. Individuals with this condition involuntarily repeat words or phrases without understanding their context.

The app leverages Google's Gemini multimodal API platform to analyze conversations between parents and children, providing real-time guidance for parents on how to best engage with their children.

The app is meant to fill accessibility gaps caused by the high demand for speech therapists by automating elements of speech therapy. "It's not a replacement for therapy, but an assistant," Chawdury said.

Chawdury's family was pivotal in bringing the AI4Echolalia project to life. His wife, a special education teacher, contributed her expertise, while their 14-year-old daughter helped pitch the idea to TEDAI San Francisco and other hackathons.

Last October, the team's efforts culminated in a successful presentation at the 2024 TEDAI Hackathon in San Francisco. Along with accolades and encouragement from industry leaders, Chawdury and his family won second place for their AI4Echollia app.

"Our team—comprised of myself, my wife Mousumi, our daughter Tanisha, and our son Arinjoy—developed this AI-powered solution to support caregivers and parents of children with echolalia. Testing this project with Arinjoy was incredibly meaningful for us," said Chawdury.

Chawdury envisions broader applications for the technology beyond speech therapy. "This architecture could be adapted for other use cases, like streamlining education plans for special needs students or automating patient documentation in healthcare," he said.

Chawdury and his family continue developing the app and thoroughly testing it internally with more AI-enabled features. They are also working to engage supportive organizations to explore future collaborations. A neurologist has joined the project as an advisor, and they are actively seeking partnerships with speech therapy agencies to refine and expand the app's capabilities.

Reflecting on his time at Georgia Tech, Chawdury expressed gratitude for the OMSCS program and its community of educators, including OMSCS Executive Director David Joyner, whom he credits as a significant influence. "The foundation I built at Georgia Tech has allowed me to pivot into AI and make a real difference," he said.

Chawdury said his journey is as much about personal growth as it is about societal impact. "I want to help my son and others like him," he said.

"This is about using technology to empower families and create a better future for those who need it most."