The potential use of Forbrain® in stuttering: A single-case study

Abstract

We present a single-case study on the potential clinical relevance of a new altered auditory feedback (AAF) device (Forbrain ®) in stuttering. One adult who stutter was tested in an appropriately-controlled single-case time-series (A-B-A) study. On each of six consecutive working days, the stuttering adult was instructed to read aloud during three different experimental phases: Baseline, Test and Post-test, while wearing a Forbrain ® headset. During the Test phase the device was turned on, whereas it was off during Baseline and Post-test phases. This way the transient effects of Forbrain ® could be analyzed. Six quantitative measures of voice quality were retrieved from the participant's voice recordings during his readings over each phase of the experiment. Data was statistically analyzed through the single-case d-statistic. A clear transient effect of Forbrain ® , when turned on, was observed on voice quality, supported by significant differences between Baseline and Test, and Test and Post-test in the tilt of the trendline of the long term average spectrum (tLTAS) of the voice. The present single-case study support the effectiveness of Forbrain ® in modifying the voice during stuttering, supporting its role as an AAF device.