Researchers have developed a cellphone-sized, portable device that could
help people who stutter to speak more fluently.
The device created by researchers from the University of Mississippi is
battery-powered and easy to use. The team began working on the device after
Greg Snyder, associate professor of communications sciences and disorders, and
himself a lifelong stutterer, demonstrated how he could speak much more
fluently simply by feeling his throat. "By
feeling my throat vibrate when I speak, I get tactile speech feedback, which
significantly reduces my stuttering," Snyder said.
While the device does not cure stuttering, it helps the user reduce his
or her stuttering frequency and can improve the user's quality of life, Snyder
added. "Our device is portable, battery-powered and easy to use,"
said Paul Goggans, lead partner in the instrument's design and fabrication. "These
are important attributes because other behavioural treatments for stuttering
are more intense; they require too much concentration and are exhausting,"
Goggans said.
Even after a long day of speech therapy, a stutterer might have no
progress to show the next day, but the patient is tired because he or she
worked so hard, Goggans said. "This creation is offering a promising
alternative that can be discreetly and easily used every day by adults,"
he said in a statement.
The patent rights to the device have been licensed to Hyperion Technology Group Inc of Tupelo. "The stigma surrounding stuttering is
overwhelming and cruel," Snyder said. "For any number of reasons, I
was able to successfully emerge from the challenges of stuttering and have
stayed focused on finding a new and better treatment for others. It just makes
sense to me that if we can wear prosthetics like eyeglasses to help with our
vision and hearing aids to enhance our hearing, then why not a prosthetic to
help with speech?" Snyder added. A prototype of the device was presented
at the 2012 Society of Neuroscience conference in New Orleans.
Times of India
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Wow, this is such great news especially for those directly involved. Indeed, there is so much social stigma connected to stuttering or stammering which affects the performances of affected individuals. This device will certainly help out resolve such issues like low self-esteem and self-isolation. Anyhow, I do believe that speech therapy also has several benefits to offer. I guess that the best possible way is to use both these ways hand-in-hand. Thank you for this post.
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