Portable delayed auditory feedback device: A preliminary report

/OURNAL

OF FLUENCY

DlSORDERS

6 (1981),

361

361-363

Instrument Review

Portable Delayed Auditory

Feedback Device: A Preliminary

Report

Steve Muellerleile Speech Rehabilitation

This

writing

delayed writing

Center, Chicago

is a preliminary

auditory

report describing

feedback device called

and our observations

feedback by our colleagues generalization

a prototype of a portable

the

DYSTECH

1000.

This

review

and

as a clinical

and

are presented to stimulate of the DYSTECH

1000

tool.

BACKGROUND The DYSTECH auditory

1000 is a portable device designed to carry over delayed

feedback (DAF)

situations,

with

control in stutter-free

techniques

to everyday speaking

independence and total self-

speech.

DAF as a clinical extensive

therapeutic

the goal of establishing

therapeutic technique for stuttering

print in the professional

journals

has received

as far back as 1958 (Chase,

1958). The merits of this therapeutic approach have been well researched and documented in terms of obtaining “stutter

free speech” within

the

controlled clinical environment. However,

until

has been slow,

inconsistent,

have had to consist systematically

recently,

of the stutterer.

actual delayed auditory reduced the flexibility

Address

52

Vanderbilt

Holland, New

Inc., York,

of actual DAF techniques DAF therapeutic

approximation

regimens

procedures

which

obtained fluency to the everyday was done in the absence of any DAF

equipment

limitations

have

of carry-over procedures of rate control in speech.

correspondnece

Ave.,

This

feedback.

to Steve Muellerleile,

Hayes St. N.E., Minneapolis,

OElsevier North

and unreliable.

of successive

extended the clinically

social situations

2201

generalization

Speech Pathologist,

DYSTECH,

MN 55418.

1981 NY

10017

0094-730X/81/04361-03$2.50

Inc.,

362

Steve Muellerleile

PURPOSE The purpose of this writing preliminary

clinical

is to describe the DYSTECH

findings

notion that the DYSTECH

1000

and the

over the past 3 years. Additionally,

1000

the

is now available to other parts of the

country for clinical review and usage is presented. THE DYSTECH

1000

The

1000 was designed initially

DYSTECH

gone through numerous modifications, effort to create a clinical 1. Be portable, tively

assist

instrument

in the

that would

inconspicuous, stutterers

in late 1977 and has since

changes and improvements

and durable enough to effec-

and generalize

their

speech control

outside of the clinical situation. 2. Enhance

the true

se/f-control

of the stuttering

behavior,

outside the clinical setting. 3. Assist

the speech-language pathologist in establishing,

ferring, and maintaining

trans-

the speech control techniques with

the client. The

pocket-size

DYSTECH

1000

portable delayed auditory

back device has six time delays (50-300

msec), continuous

feed-

volume

control to 95 dB, binaural earphones, and operates on a standard 9 V battery, with rechargeable batteries optional. size device which is lightweight CLINICAL

It is a streamlined

pocket-

and easy to operate.

OBSERVATIONS

The DYSTECH

1000 has been used for an excess of 260 hr of therapy with

five stutterers

in two midwestern

clinic methodology utilized

metropolitan

and Perkins (1969).

Clinic-bound

consistently

several hours of instruction

the DYSTECH

within

primary

in-

conversational

fluency was established and client practice with

1000.

Stabilization initiated

areas. The

has not been unlike that described by Curlee

through

and carry-over a hierarchy

of the fluent

of situations

speaking

patterns was

that were communicatively

instrument

stressful

363

Review

for each client. For example, under the direct supervision

speech-language pathologist,

the client would use the DYSTECH

of the 1000

when conversing with a friend in a low stress situation, e.g., in the home. When fluency was maintained for an appropriate length of time, usually determined by the client, the next progression step was initiated. In our preliminary

clinical utilizations

1000 to be of significant

we have found the DYSTECH

benefit to both the speech-language pathologist

and the client in establishing,

maintaining,

and, especially,

generalizing

fluent speech behaviors. SUMMARY The DYSTECH

1000 is proving to be an effective and flexible therapeutic

tool for our speech-language pathologists We at the Speech Rehabilitation

in their work

with the designers and producers of the DYSTECH Minnesota. field

These

observations

with

in Chicago, Illinois

Center

dysfluency. have worked

1000, in Minneapolis,

are presented to our colleagues

so as to promote more critical

in the

observations

of this device as a

The device can be acquired through DYSTECH,

Inc., 2201 Hayes St.

potential therapeutic tool. N.E., Minneapolis,

MN 55418.

REFERENCES Chase, R.A. Effect of D.A.F. upon the repetition of speech sounds. /ournal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 1958, 23, 583-590. Curlee, R.F., and Perkins, W.H. Conversational rate control therapy for stuttering. lournal

of Speech and Hearing

Disorders,

1969, 34, 245-259.