Speech devices are changing the way in which stutterers hear their voices, which in turn improves fluency. Here are a few examples:
- Speaking in chorus with another person
- Hearing your voice delayed a fraction of a second (delayed auditory feedback, or DAF).
- Listening your voice shifted higher or lower in pitch (frequency-shifted auditory feedback, or FAF).
- Receiving a synthesized sound mimicking your phonetics (masking auditory feedback, or MAF).
These all fall under the category named altered auditory feedback.
Immediate Effects of Electronic Speech Devices
The most effective types of altered auditory feedback: delayed auditory feedback (DAF) and frequency-shifted auditory feedback (FAF). Each help reduce stuttering by around 70%, without training. In order to get closer to 100% fluency, an anti-stuttering device should go hand-in-hand with speech therapy.
Should Adults Use Anti-Stuttering Devices?
The only treatment for stutterers’ auditory processing abnormality is an altered auditory feedback device. No speech therapy is known to correct this abnormality. Using an anti-stuttering device in conjunction with other therapies can help improve speech quicker. Practice makes perfect and having a certified speech pathologist to coach you along the way will help you.
Should Children Use Anti-Stuttering Devices?
For children under six, stuttering therapy is usually 100% effective. Therefore, anti-stuttering devices are unnecessary. For seven to thirteen-year-olds, DAF devices are used in school with a speech-language pathologist. Since therapy is usually effective, there’s no need for the child to wear the DAF device outside of therapy. However, if the child only goes to the speech-pathologist once or twice a week for a short period of time, then the pathologist can train the parents to supervise their child practicing with the DAF device at home.
SpeechEasy Device
To learn more about Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) and SpeechEasy’s innovative technology that can be used to reduce stuttering, call us today at (252) 551-9042 or visit our website here to learn more. You are not alone!