The effect of SpeechEasy on stuttering frequency in laboratory conditions

Armson, Joy; Kiefte, Michael; Mason, Jessica; Croos, Dayani De

doi:10.1016/j.jfludis.2006.04.004

Cited by 42 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The term 'altered auditory feedback' (AAF) is used to refer to alterations to recurrent auditory information (Howell, 2004). There is substantial clinical and experimental data showing immediate fluency enhancing effects of AAF for people who stutter (Armson, Kiefte, Mason, & De Croos, 2006;Howell, 2004;Lincoln, Packman, & Onslow, 2006). Although there is a large literature on the role of auditory feedback in speech production (Fairbanks, 1955;Howell & Sackin, 2002;Lee, 1950;Max, Guenther, Gracco, Ghosh, & Wallace, 2004;Postma, 2000;Postma & Kolk, 1992;Venkatagiri, 2005), the mechanism of stuttering reduction with AAF in people who stutter is not completely understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the literature, excessive training is not required for effective use of AAF (Kalinowski, Dayalu, & Saltuklaroglu, 2001). AAF is effective during both reading and spontaneous speech tasks, as well as in traditionally difficult situations such as using the telephone and speaking in front of audience (Armson et al, 2006;. Because of the need to control variables, most researchers have investigated the effects of AAF on stuttering while participants read (Armson, Foote, Witt, Kalinowski, & Stuart, 1997;Ham & Steer, 1967;Kalinowski, Stuart, Wamsley, & Rastatter, 1999;MacLeod et al, 1995;Maraist & Hutton, 1957;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Monologue is easier to control in a research setting, although spontaneous conversation has more relevance to everyday life. Only a few studies have looked at the effect of the AAF on stuttering during spontaneous speech (Armson et al, 2006;Armson & Stuart, 1998;Burke, 1975;Ingham et al, 1997;Van Borsel et al, 2003;Zimmerman, Kalinowski, Stuart, & Rastatter, 1997). Careful examination of these studies reveals discrepancies in research findings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Armson and Stuart concluded that greater frequency shifts may be needed and individuals may require different FAF parameters. Armson et al (2006) investigated the effectiveness of AAF during reading, monologue speech production, and conversation tasks. On average, a greater reduction in stuttering frequency during monologue and conversation tasks (30% and 36%, respectively) was revealed than in the Armson and Stuart (1998) study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On average, a greater reduction in stuttering frequency during monologue and conversation tasks (30% and 36%, respectively) was revealed than in the Armson and Stuart (1998) study. The AAF settings used by Armson et al (2006) were selected individually for each participant. Individual selection of AAF parameters was also applied in two recent studies O'Donnel, Armson, & Kiefte, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of altered auditory feedback (AAF) on stuttering frequency during monologue speech production

Antipova

Purdy

Blakeley

et al. 2008

Journal of Fluency Disorders

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The present study investigated the immediate effects of eight altered auditory feedback (AAF) parameters on stuttering frequency during monologue speech production on two occasions. One of the modern commercially available portable anti-stuttering devices, "The Pocket Speech Lab" (Casa Futura Technologies ® ) was used in the study to produce the auditory feedback alterations. Six types of combined delayed auditory feedback (DAF) and frequency shifted auditory feedback (FAF) and two types of DAF alone were tested for eight participants aged 16-55 years, with stuttering severity ranging from mild to severe. The present study found that AAF is an effective means to reduce stuttering frequency during monologue speech production. All eight AAF experimental conditions reduced stuttering frequency, however, there was substantial variability in the stuttering reduction effect across experimental conditions and across participants. There was also instability in stuttering reduction across the two testing sessions. On average, a 75 ms time delay on its own and a combination of the 75 ms time delay and a half octave downward frequency shift were found to be more effective than other combinations of AAF parameters that were investigated.Educational objectives: After reading this paper, the reader should be able to (1) summarize the research investigating the effect of altered auditory feedback on stuttering frequency during monologue speech production; (2) describe the stuttering reduction effect of the eight parameters of AAF tested during monologue speech production; and (3) discuss the possible clinical implications of the use of AAF for stuttering treatment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Effects of altered auditory feedback (AAF) on stuttering frequency during monologue speech production

Antipova

Purdy

Blakeley

et al. 2008

Journal of Fluency Disorders

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Auditory Feedback Control of Vocal Pitch in Spasmodic Dysphonia

2020

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Objectives/Hypothesis Hearing plays an important role in the maintenance of vocal control in normal individuals. In patients with spasmodic dysphonia (SD), however, the ability to maintain sustained control of phonation is impaired. The origins of SD are unknown, and it is unclear whether auditory feedback‐dependent vocal control is compromised in these patients. Study Design Prospective case‐control study. Methods We tested 15 SD patients and 11 age‐matched controls. Voice recordings were performed while subjects repeated the vowel /e/ and auditory feedback of their vocal sounds was altered in real‐time to introduce a pitch‐shift (±2 semitones), presented back to subjects using headphones. Recordings were analyzed to determine voice changes following the pitch‐shifted feedback. Results were further compared with patient demographics and subjective measures of dysphonia, including the Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Results Despite considerable pitch variability and vocal breaks, SD patients exhibited significantly higher average vocal pitch compensation than control subjects. SD patients also exhibited greater variability than controls. However, there were no significant correlations between vocal compensation and patient demographics, although there was a significant inverse correlation with VHI. Conclusions In this pilot study, patients with SD exhibited increased sensitivity to altered auditory feedback during sustained phonation. These results are consistent with recent theories of SD as a disorder of sensory‐motor feedback processing, and suggest possible avenues for future investigation. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope, 131:2070–2075, 2021

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“Lombard Effect” and Voice Changes in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia: A Pilot Study

Marchese,

Longobardi,

Libero

et al. 2024

The Laryngoscope

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ObjectivesThe aim was to describe the acoustic, auditory‐perceptive, and subjective voice changes under the Lombard effect (LE) in adductor laryngeal dystonia (AdLD) patients.MethodsSubjective perception of vocal effort (OMNI Vocal Effort Scale OMNI‐VES), Maximum Phonation Time (MPT), and the perceptual severity of dysphonia (GRBAS scale) were assessed in condition of stillness and under LE in 10 AdLD patients and in 10 patients with typical voice. Speakers were asked to produce the sustained vowel /a/ and to read a phonetically balanced text aloud. Using the PRAAT software, the following acoustic parameters were analyzed: Mean Pitch (Hz), Minimum and Maximum Intensity (dB), the Fraction of Locally Unvoiced Frames, the Number of Voice Breaks, the Degree of Voice Breaks (%), the Cepstral Peak Prominence‐Smoothed (CPPS) (dB).ResultsUnder LE, the AdLD group showed a decrease of both G and S parameters of GRBAS and subjective effort, mean MPT increased significantly; in the controls there were no significant changes. In both groups under LE, pitch and intensity of the sustained vowel /a/ significantly increased consistently with LE. In the AdLD group the mean gain of OMNI‐VES score and the mean gain of each parameter of the speech analysis were significantly greater than the controls' ones.ConclusionAuditory feedback deprivation obtained under LE improves subjective, perceptual‐auditory, and acoustics parameters of AdLD patients. These findings encourage further research to provide new knowledge into the role of the auditory system in the pathogenesis of AdLD and to develop new therapeutic strategies.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 2024

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The effect of SpeechEasy on stuttering frequency in laboratory conditions

Cited by 42 publications

References 12 publications

Effects of altered auditory feedback (AAF) on stuttering frequency during monologue speech production

Effects of altered auditory feedback (AAF) on stuttering frequency during monologue speech production

Auditory Feedback Control of Vocal Pitch in Spasmodic Dysphonia

“Lombard Effect” and Voice Changes in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia: A Pilot Study

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