Helping Stutterers Speak Freely

A new device can aid stutterers speak more clearly, just as eyeglasses improve vision. The SpeechEasy fluency device is worn like a hearing aid and uses a system of altered auditory feedback (AAF) to help alleviate stuttering.

When someone wearing the device speaks, their words are digitally replayed in their ear with a very slight delay and frequency modification. As a result, the brain perceives that it is speaking in unison with another person. This perception of speaking in unison creates the so-called choral effect, a phenomenon in which stutterers do not stutter when speaking the same material in unison with another speaker, or in a chorus. For best results, it is recommended that a speech pathologist determine who is a proper candidate for a fluency device, as well as what therapies and techniques will enhance the device's success. The SpeechEasy is a product of the Janus Development Group (Greenville, NC, USA).

"This is the beginning of the new era for the person who stutters,” said SpeechEasy developer Joseph Kalinowski, a stutterer himself and a speech pathologist at East Carolina University (Greenfield, NC, USA).

Stuttering is considered a medical mystery, but there is some indication that genetic factors are involved in the development of stuttering and subsequent recovery, as shown by various studies done on families and twins. It is not known to what degree stuttering is dependent on genetic factors, on environmental factors, or on both.


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SpeechEasy
East Carolina University