The Effects of Tactile Speech Feedback on Stuttering Frequency

The Effects of Tactile Speech Feedback on Stuttering Frequency

The purpose of this research project is to test the effects of exposure of different forms of tactile speech feedback on overt stuttering frequency.

A new medical grade device (FDA - category exempt) has been newly designed and built at the University of Mississippi within the departments of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Exercise Science, and Computer and Electrical Engineering. The device records either sound waves (via a small standard microphone) or three dimensional accelerometer data from the throat of a stuttering subject. This data is digitally signal processed, and "fed back" to the user in the form of a small vibrating disk/film that can be held between the fingers or mounted on the skin. This feedback data does not require the subject to attend to the incoming signal.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults diagnosed with persistent developmental stuttering

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects below 18 years of age