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Further explains technology that can be brought into the classroom or therapy to help stuttering!

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Brief history of devices that have helped stuttering!  

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Brief history of devices that have helped stuttering!  

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About the presenter: Larry Molt is chair of the Department of Communication Disorders and the director of the Neuroprocesses Research Laboratory at Auburn University. He holds a dual masters degree in speech-language pathology and audiology from the University of South Florida and Ph.D. in speech and hearing science from the University of Tennessee.

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A mobile technology optionto help stuttering!

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A mobile technology optionto help stuttering!

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Stuttering is not considered a disability, yet it holds back some 68 million people worldwide from job promotions, class presentations, voicing their opinions and a whole slew of other daily life experiences. An Israeli mobile app could now empower people who stutter to rise above their often overlooked condition using the world's first stuttering detection algorithm.

"Almost 80 percent of employers will not hire a stutterer, even for jobs that the stutterer doesn't need to speak. Add to that, 60 percent of kids who stutter are bullied," Yair Shapira, founder & CEO of NiNiSpeech, tells ISRAEL21c.

NiNiSpeech is a mobile health solution that helps people who stutter (PWS) maintain fluent speech, and allows speech-language pathologists (SLP) to monitor their clients' fluency in everyday settings.

"The secret that most people don't know is that almost all stutterers can speak fluently. When they're alone in a room, they speak fluently. When they're in the clinic, they speak fluently. The problem happens that when they're in the real world, 85% lapse back into stuttering," Shapira tells ISRAEL21c.

Shapira, a veteran of the Israeli high-tech field, has watched his 17-year-old son try new therapies and treatments for his stammer to no avail. The coincidence that he did his PhD on the effects of mental stress on human voice - before he knew his son would stutter - did not leave him indifferent.

Shapira recently left his executive position at DiViNetworks, and started NiNiSpeech together with Yoav Medan, who led IBM's speech processing unit and served as CTO of InSightec, and Ofer Amir, who heads Tel Aviv University School of Communication Disorders.

"The industry of stuttering treatment is old-fashioned and non-technological," says Shapira. "NiNiSpeech can revolutionize the whole industry of stuttering treatment, not just the treatment itself."

The Haifa-based startup, launched in January, has already picked up a handful of innovation awards and has sparked interest from around the globe. Clinical trials are beginning in four countries.
A buzz in your hand
The World Health Organization defines stuttering as "a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the person who stutters is unable to produce sounds."

When people stutter outside of therapy sessions, they often have no awareness that they're hung up on a word. "The need for an out-of-clinic approach is crucial," Shapira says.

That's where NiNiSpeech comes in. The mobile solution, which will cost $50 to $100 monthly, provides the stutterer with immediate feedback on speech fluency via a buzz or vibration that operates in real-time and works in a variety of languages.

"The secret that most people don't know is that almost all stutterers can speak fluently."

The technology gives the stutterer a chance to monitor performance, improve fluency, achieve speech goals and gain rewards. The second stage of the solution, unique in the field, measures stuttering.

"When you're on a diet, you weigh yourself. When you run or do fitness, you have a stopwatch so you know how well you're doing, whether you're progressing or not. In speech there's no correlation between subjective experience of the stutterer and his real stutter," says Shapira.

"So, a stutterer can work for one to three months and still won't know if he progressed. This is a system that will let him know."

Thirdly, NiNiSpeech - which is meant to be used together with speech therapy - gives SLPs critical real-time feedback from outside the clinic.

"Therapists have no clue how well their patients are doing because in the clinic you don't stutter, in the same way you don't eat cake at the dietician's office," says Shapira.

The NiNiSpeech solution gives therapists speech fluency metrics, allows them to view clients' speech performance using a browser dashboard, and even listen to recordings of stutter clusters.
Clinical trials around the world
One percent of the population is affected by stuttering, says Shapira, including a handful of celebrities such as US Vice President Joe Biden, singer Marc Anthony and golfer Tiger Woods.

Shapira reports that people from across the globe have written in to welcome NiNiSpeech and have asked to partake in clinical trials.

The company, which is currently trying to raise capital, has received a grant from the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Economy but is mostly bootstrapped.

From the start, it has wowed the health innovation field - picking up first place in StarTAU & LeumiTech's pitch night in February and first place in the Socialize15 startup contest, where it was selected by Forbes, PWS and OurCrowd as the leading startup offering technology solutions to social needs.

The company was recently chosen by Israel Brain Technologies to present at BrainTech2015, held on March 12th.

And, on May 18, NiNiSpeech won the $100,000 grand prize for first place in the Merage Institute Entrepreneurs' Competition.

Now, NiNiSpeech is heading to clinical trials in the United States, China, Portugal and Israel.

The Chinese trials could make the greatest impact, says Shapira. "In China, it is considered a family shame if you stutter. And there are very few speech therapists in China."

Assuming the trials are successful, Shapira says the NiNiSpeech application should be on the market by summer.

NiNiSpeech is named for Shapira's son, Niv, whose stutter was especially prominent when he tried to say his name, "Ni-Ni-Niv."

"NiNiSpeech can show the therapist what's going on outside the clinic and it changes the way that the person who stutters can see his stutter," says Shapira. "It can truly revolutionize the whole industry of stuttering treatment."

For more information, click here

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Stuttering is not considered a disability, yet it holds back some 68 million people worldwide from job promotions, class presentations, voicing their opinions and a whole slew of other daily life experiences. An Israeli mobile app could now empower people who stutter to rise above their often overlooked condition using the world's first stuttering detection algorithm.

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Other technology options and their benefits for stuttering!

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An in ear device that can help reduce stuttering!

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Home | SpeechEasy | The World's Smallest Anti-Stuttering Device

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Take control of your stuttering with the world's most discreet anti-stuttering device available. Get your SpeechEasy device today!

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What is a high incidence disability and communication disorder?

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What is a high incidence disability and communication disorder?

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Definitions that explain what stuttering is.

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Stuttering is a speech production disorder characterized by the repeated and involuntary disruption of the smooth flow of speech. Children (and adults) who stutter find themselves unable to keep from compulsively repeating words and/or prolonging the pronunciation of various speech sounds and syllables. Children who stutter often feel pronounced fear and anxiety, especially when they are forced into speaking under pressure. In some cases, their struggle with language and speech becomes so emotionally painful that they try to avoid speaking altogether.

Symptoms of stuttering include:

Disturbances in the time pattern, rhythm and flow of speech (e.g., the introduction of inappropriate pauses within words)

Repetition of words or sounds

Interjections (frequent use of "um" or "ah")

Monosyllabic whole-word repetitions (e.g., I-I-I-I know)

Lengthy pauses in sentences

Sound prolongations

Heightened fear and/or anxiety surrounding speech or speaking

Avoidance of speaking (in some cases)

According to the DSM, children must display one or more of the above symptoms to be diagnosed with Stuttering. Symptoms must also significantly interfere with the child's academic, occupational, or social communication.

Having described the subtypes of communication disorders, we're now in a position to describe how common they are and how they are treated.
Prevalence of Communication Disorders
Communication disorders are relatively common. According to the American Speech, Language, Hearing Association, 24.1% (or 1,460,583) of children in public schools receiving special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have communication disorders. Acquired language disorders (which arise after a period of normal development and result from hearing loss or some other type of trauma) appear to be less common than developmental types (which are present from very early on in children's development).

Some subtypes of communication disorders are more common than others. According to the DSM, 3 to 7% of children have Expressive Language Disorder, whereas Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder is found in only 3% of school-aged children. Phonological Disorder occurs in about 2% of 6-7 year-olds, but over time most children develop out of this condition so that by age 17 only 0.5% still meet the diagnostic criteria. Stuttering is present in about 1% of children age 10 and younger, and also declines over time. By late adolescence only 0.8% of children have Stuttering Disorder.

All Communication Disorders are more common in boys than in girls. For example, boys are three times more likely to develop a stuttering disorder than are girls.
Diagnosis of Communication Disorders
Children who seem to have any symptoms of a Communication Disorder should be assessed by a professional who is knowledgeable about normal milestones of speech and language development (e.g., a child psychologist, counselor, speech therapist or speech pathologist). Since these disorders are common, many schools employ in-house or consulting speech therapists who can assist in the diagnostic and treatment process.

As with many other conditions, the formal diagnosis of a communications disorder requires that special testing occur. With younger children, communication assessments may be conducted within the context of a play situation so as to help keep these children at ease. Older children may simply be presented with tests or be interviewed by an examiner knowledgeable about speech pathology. A variety of testing tools may be used during an assessment. The Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA), is a good example of this sort of test. The ITPA is designed to measure how well children between the ages of 4 and 8 acquire and use language. It measures 12 language functions including Visual Association (the ability to recognize and associate objects with words), Verbal Expression (the ability to express information using spoken language), and Auditory Sequential Memory (the ability to recall information, such as a sequence of numbers or the letters of the alphabet, in the proper order).

Beyond a child's raw performance on speech tests, assessors will frequently consult with teachers to help them round out their appreciation of the child's functional deficits. Teachers are also a good source of information about how children are progressing after they have been diagnosed and started in speech therapy. You may want to speak with your health care professional about how best to obtain information from your child's teacher regarding his or her learning progress in the classroom setting.

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Communication Disorders: Stuttering and Prevalence / Diagnosis of Communication Disorders

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Stuttering is a speech production disorder characterized by the repeated and involuntary disruption of the smooth flow of speech. Children (and adults) who stutter find themselves unable to keep from compulsively repeating words and/or prolonging the pronunciation of various speech sounds and syllables.

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A physical process of how stuttering occurs!

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Words associated with the disability of stuttering!

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Helpful reminder for family and friends who know someone with a stutter!

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Helpful reminder for family and friends who know someone with a stutter!

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Kids who have the disability speak about what is it and its misconceptions.

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Journal entry backing up technology to help stuttering!

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Journal entry backing up technology to help stuttering!

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Technology and the evolution of clinical methods for stuttering

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The World Wide Web (WWW) was 20 years old last year. Enormous amounts of information about stuttering are now available to anyone who can access the I...

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The Stuttering Foundation list of helpful technology!

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The Stuttering Foundation list of helpful technology!

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The Stuttering Foundation endorses Assistive Technology!

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Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter

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Ear devices have been on the market for many years and are available in many price ranges. These electronic aids either delay or alter the sound of one's voice, creating an echo, or play some sort of noise, both of which are known to reduce stuttering. However, it is also known that the effects may wear off over time. There is not enough data on the long-term effectiveness of the devices at this time - something the Stuttering Foundation is working to address.

Below is a list of electronic aids, software, and apps. Some people who stutter have found them to be helpful, particularly in limited situations, such as using the telephone or giving a speech.

Three million people in the United States stutter. So far no single method has proven to work for everyone, despite reports of "cures" through new treatments, drugs or devices. For these reasons, the Stuttering Foundation does not endorse any single approach to stuttering treatment.

Instead, we actively support research into the causes of stuttering in the hope of finding ever-better treatments. We encourage you to learn as much as possible about the many treatment options currently available and to choose what is best for your individual situation.

We also offer other resources, including a listings of speech-language pathologists specializing in stuttering therapy. Many of our publications are available free online or at your local library.

You may call us toll-free at 800-992-9392 or e-mail us at info@stutteringhelp.org.
An article on assistive technology
Note: The Stuttering Foundation of America does not warrant the efficacy of these devices nor guarantee their treatment in any way. This page is here for your information only. Appearing on this page is NOT an endorsement by the Stuttering Foundation.
Electronic Devices
Rick ArenasSome people who stutter find that using DAF/FAF helps them to speak more fluently. There are several options to get DAF/FAF by means of software or portable hardware. However, the both the software and hardware options come at a price. Some of the software is relatively cheap, around $25. However, the portable hardware devices are not cheap. They can range anywhere from $1000 to $5000, depending on the size and technology. Speech Monitor

Free Delayed and Frequency Altered Feedback Software: Speechmonitor.org offers a free resource.

SpeechEasy - $2,500 - $4,500
Janus Development Group, Inc.
112 Staton Road
Greenville, NC 27834
252-551-9042
Toll-free (877) 4-Fluency
www.speecheasy.com

These devices, worn like traditional hearing aids, use altered auditory feedback in the form of auditory delays & frequency shifts.

Casa Futura Technologies - $295 - $2,495
720 31 st Street
Boulder, CO 80303
720-217-6589
www.casafuturatech.com
DAF, FAF, MAF, and stuttering bio feed back devices for clinical, home practice, telephone, and pocket use. 15 States (CA, MA, TX, WI and more) provide funding for anti-stuttering telephone devices to qualified consumers. Schools may inquire about special rates.

KayPentax - $4,000
2 Bridgewater Lane
Lincoln Park, NJ 07035
800-289-5297 (toll-free USA & Canada)
973-628-6200
www.kayelemetrics.com
info@kaypentax.com

Apps for iPad, iPod Touch, Android, iPhone and other smart phones

(Fluency Tracker and Disfluency Index Counter)

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Ear devices have been on the market for many years and are available in many price ranges. These electronic aids either delay or alter the sound of one's voice, creating an echo, or play some sort of noise, both of which are known to reduce stuttering.

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Apps can be easily downloaded onto Smart Devices and allow for therapy.