Syndrom-Kurz-Test

Speech-based dementia screening using Whisper embeddings to compensate for nonverbal subtest omissions

Researchers present a speech-based evaluation system for the German Syndrom-Kurz-Test dementia screening battery, combining transcript-derived scores with Whisper embeddings to reduce transcription scoring errors. The system also approximates expert overall ratings even when motor (nonverbal) subtests are omitted, addressing a key accessibility limitation of speech-only assessment. Models show strong correlation with expert ratings and effective discrimination between cognitive status groups.