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University Efficacy Study Shows SpeechEasy Increases Fluency
Researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, Canada, have discovered that use of the SpeechEasy device demonstrated a mean frequency reduction in the occurrence of stuttering, as reported in the 16-page study published in the April 2006 edition of the Journal of Fluency Disorders
The study consisted of 2 females and 11 males, 21 - 54 years of age, and evaluated the use of the SpeechEasy Basic BTE (Behind the Ear) unit. The study was designed to test the effect of SpeechEasy on the number of occurrences of stuttering during speech produced in a laboratory setting under two controlled conditions: Device Only and Device Plus. Associate Professors Joy Armson and Michael Kiefte, and DU Masters' Graduates Jessica Mason and Dayani Decroos conducted the study.
The 'Device Only' protocol consisted of a condition in which no techniques/instructions were taught to the participants - the device was simply placed in the participant's ear and subjects were asked to complete various speaking tasks. The 'Device Plus' protocol consisted of a condition in which instruction was given to participants to prolong vowels at the onset of speech during exhalation.
Speaking tasks included oral reading, monologue and conversation in each condition. Various delays (Delayed Auditory Feedback or DAF) were used (30, 60, 90 and 120ms. Reductions in stuttering frequency were revealed for all speaking tasks for both device conditions. For the 'Device Only' condition, stuttering was reduced by 42%, 30% and 36%. For the 'Device Plus' condition, stuttering was reduced by 74%, 36% and 49%, for reading, monologue, and conversation, respectively. These results demonstrated that clinical instruction accompanying the use of SpeechEasy increased fluency in the speaker.
It is important to note that although a decrease in stuttering was found with the use of the device, the study also revealed that upon examination of individual response profiles, degree and pattern of benefit varied greatly across the participants.
The Armson et al. study pointed out that the results noted with the device in place were not the result of artifact effects, such as enhanced comfort levels for time spent wearing the device during the session.
For the full article please see the Journal of Fluency Disorders, Volume 31, 2006, page 137-152.
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