ISTRA FAQs What does ISTRA mean?

Istra is an acronym meaning the Indiana Speech Training Aid.

Do I have to be in Indiana, USA to use it?

ISTRA was developed cooperatively by professors and researchers at Indiana University, Bloomington and employees at CDT. Thus, the product came to be called the Indiana Speech Training Aid. One does not have to be in Indiana to use it at all.

Who can use ISTRA?

ISTRA is intended for use by Speech and Language Pathologists working with many clients. While the clients will use the software on their own, it takes the knowledge and expertise of an SLP in order to correctly configure the software for a client's individual needs.

How does the SLP "initiate" the program for the client?

First, a vocabulary of words to be trained is created with a simple text editor. These can be any words at all that fit in with the client's treatment plan. ISTRA training can begin when the speech pathologist has elicited several tokens of a client's current error as well as some improved productions of the word to be trained. The TEMPLATE function is invoked to create acoustic 'targets' for the training words. The speech pathologist rates each production on a relative scale from 1 to 9. The template is formed from the three utterances with the highest ratings and stored for use in speech drill.

What kind of feedback is provided by the ISTRA system?

The speech recognition functions of ISTRA provide speech-quality feedback that is very similar to human ratings of speech quality.

Have there been any clinical studies conducted with the ISTRA software?

CDT has conducted such studies many times with this product and has found: improved quality of trained words, improved quality of untrained words (generalization), and enthusiastic acceptance by teachers and students.

What makes the ISTRA software different from similar software on the market?

Many factors truly make the software unique from its competitors including: whole words and phrases are used, not just individual sounds; clients may drill independently after initial set-up by an SLP; challenging and competitive games; immediate feedback for the client after each utterance; and training that is tailored to the needs of the client.

Will ISTRA work on my Apple computer?

ISTRA is only offered for the PC platform at this time.

How do I install ISTRA?

Follow the installation instructions printed on the jacket of the CD package or those instructions included with your software. If you require additional assistance with your installation, email cdt@comdistec.com.

Is there technical support for ISTRA?

CDT offers free technical support for its products for one year after the purchase date. You may email cdt@comdistec.com or call 812-336-1766 with your questions.

What are the system requirements for ISTRA?

The system requirements can be found here.

What is the price of the ISTRA software?

It is expected that a revised istra system, available in 2011, will be priced at $499 with free shipping and handling.

What if I decide that I do not like the ISTRA program?

You may return ISTRA software that you purchased as long as it is returned within 30 days of the invoice date (the date on which you purchased the software).