Press Releases
SpeechEasy Announces Results of Customer Satisfaction Survey
Fluency Device to Treat Stuttering Earns 80.6 Percent Overall Satisfaction Rating; 90.6 Percent Recommend SpeechEasy as a Treatment Option
Greenville, North Carolina - August 24, 2004 - SpeechEasy -- the leading provider of technologically advanced devices that help people who stutter speak more fluently - today announced the results of a comprehensive customer satisfaction survey.
The survey was conducted by integrated marketing/research firm Rainmaker & Sun. It was sent to all 2,548 people on record as having purchased the SpeechEasy device since it was introduced to the public in 2001 (in total the device is used by more than 3,000 people nationwide). Among the 489 users who responded, 80.6 percent indicated that they are satisfied with their decision to obtain the device, and 90.6 percent indicated that they would recommend SpeechEasy as a treatment option. Most SpeechEasy users, including those who responded to the survey, have stuttered since early childhood.
"Our goal for SpeechEasy is to provide a highly advanced treatment option that can make a profound difference in helping people who stutter improve their quality of life," said Darwin Richards, president of Janus Development Group - SpeechEasy's parent company. "The results of the customer satisfaction survey confirm that SpeechEasy can help even those who have struggled for decades to overcome debilitating fluency problems."
In addition to overall satisfaction, the survey also found:
- 66 percent reported that their fluency continued to improve the longer they used the device.
- 85 percent reported a heightened sense of confidence, freedom and self-reliance, as well as an improvement in social and professional relationships.
- 80 percent of those who continued to receive speech therapy after receiving SpeechEasy reported that the device improved the effectiveness of therapy sessions.
Benefits were reported in a range of speech-intensive activities including telephone calls, day-to-day conversations, business meetings, reading aloud and public speaking.
The views expressed in the customer satisfaction survey are consistent with the results of a scientific study published last year in the prestigious International Journal of Language Communication Disorders (Vol. 38:1-21, 2003). In the study, researchers subjected SpeechEasy users to a variety of tests, and reported that the device reduced stuttering significantly while helping to produce speech that was more natural.
A subsequent, much larger study published in the International Journal of Rehabilitation Research (Vol. 27:167-170, 2004) presented data that suggests the SpeechEasy device provides users with the ability to generate fluent, natural-sounding speech with minimal effort.
SpeechEasy is worn similar to a hearing aid, but rather than amplify sound, the device employs a technology called Altered Auditory Feedback (AAF) to recreate a phenomenon known as the "choral effect." This effect has been documented in the scientific community for more than 45 years to explain why people who stutter suddenly become fluent when they speak in unison with others, such as while singing in a choir or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. When someone who stutters wears the SpeechEasy device, words are digitally replayed in the ear with a very slight delay and frequency modification. This causes the brain to perceive that the wearer is speaking in unison with another person, thus creating the "choral effect" and reducing or even eliminating the stutter.
Stuttering is a disorder characterized by frequent repetitions, pauses and prolongations that interfere with the normal flow of speech. It affects more than 3 million Americans. Famous people who stutter have included Winston Churchill, Jimmy Stewart, Marilyn Monroe, James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis, John Stossel and Bill Walton.
Complete results of SpeechEasy's customer satisfaction survey are available at: http://www.speecheasy.com/testimonials_whatourcustomerssay.html.
About SpeechEasy
SpeechEasy is a portable and inconspicuous fluency-enhancing device that can help people who stutter speak more fluently with less effort. It is available in a variety of styles and models that are custom fitted and programmed for each individual user.
The device was developed by a team of communication disorder researchers at East Carolina University, and is marketed by Janus Development Group. SpeechEasy devices are available exclusively via a nationwide network of state licensed, ASHA (American Speech-Language Hearing Association)-certified speech language pathologists. More information about SpeechEasy is available at www.speecheasy.com.
