Stuttering

Researchers are developing an Adaptive and Individualized Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system designed to help individuals with severe motor impairments communicate more effectively. This study focuses on creating a personalized communication device that automatically adapts to the user's physical abilities by customizing a comprehensive keyboard interface. The goal is to improve communication access for people who rely on alternative methods due to conditions like spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, or locked-in syndrome. Participants will use two types of AAC systems during the study: an Experimental AAC system featuring wearable sensors to detect movement and muscle activity for cursor control and selection, integrated with an adaptive keyboard; and a Generic AAC system similar to devices they normally use, such as eye-tracking with a generic keyboard. Each participant will use both systems in sequence to compare communication performance, with the Experimental AAC aiming to enhance information transfer and user experience. During the study, participants will attend approximately 5 testing sessions involving the use of these AAC systems over about one year. Researchers will assess communication effectiveness using tools such as the Tele-healthcare Satisfaction Questionnaire, Information Transfer Rate measurement, and the NASA Task Load Index. Additional evaluations include character movement time, path efficiency, word completion usage, and writing fluency. The study will monitor usability, acceptance, and benefits of the AAC system for people with severe motor challenges.

Stuttering affects communication and the quality of life for individuals who experience it. This research aims to build a strong foundation for developing brain and behavior-based treatments for stuttering. Participants will engage in activities such as naming pictures, reading words or sentences silently or aloud, and listening to speech and nonspeech sounds while their speech, muscle, and brain signals are recorded. Some may also receive brain stimulation during reading and speaking tasks. The study involves different behavioral interventions to explore how the brain processes speech and auditory feedback in people who stutter. Four experimental groups will experience various interventions including delayed speech initiation using brain stimulation, auditory errors with brain activity monitoring during speech, electrical stimulation of a specific speech brain area, and delayed auditory feedback to create mismatches between predicted and heard speech. Participants will be involved in sessions lasting up to two hours where brain activity and speech changes are measured, especially observing how the brain responds before and during speaking and when auditory errors occur. The research monitors brain signals, speech patterns, and muscle activity during these tasks to better understand stuttering. The study is sponsored by Arizona State University and includes healthy volunteers aged 3 years and older.

Researchers are studying how hearing our own speech influences the planning and execution of speaking movements. This study includes both typical speakers and patients with Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) implants. It aims to understand whether the way we hear ourselves affects future speech and which brain areas contribute to adjusting speech movements, especially in DBS patients. The study involves manipulating real-time auditory feedback during speech using devices like digital vocal processors or software, as well as altering visual feedback during upper limb reaching movements with a virtual reality system. For DBS patients, the intervention includes switching their brain stimulator ON and OFF while performing speech tasks. These interventions help explore the role of sensory feedback and brain stimulation in speech and movement control. Participants will read words, sentences, or random syllables while their speech is recorded, and some will wear an electrode cap to record brain activity. DBS patients perform tasks with stimulator ON and OFF. Measurements include speech sounds, arm movement directions, brain electrical responses, and accuracy and timing of speech sequences. Each data session lasts from about half an hour to two hours. The study provides insight into brain and speech motor control with no treatment involved.

Researchers are investigating the use of virtual reality (VR) to improve patient adherence and outcomes in speech-language therapy for vocal cord disorders. Nonadherence to traditional voice therapy can hinder recovery, increase healthcare costs, and negatively affect quality of life. The GlenXRose VR Speech-Language therapies, developed in collaboration with the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, offer gamified and immersive vocal exercises designed to make rehabilitation more engaging and accessible at home. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive the GlenXRose VR therapies alongside standard clinical care or to receive standard clinical care alone from speech-language pathologists. The VR therapies are delivered using a head-mounted device that allows patients to interact with games and educational content while performing vocal exercises. This study aims to assess the feasibility of incorporating VR into routine care and to compare patient adherence and vocal outcomes over a 12-week period. During the study, participants will be evaluated on their adherence to therapy, generalization of skills, and compliance rates. Vocal function will be measured using the Voice Handicap Index-10 and acoustic voice analysis. Assessments will occur up to 12 weeks, with researchers monitoring treatment frequency and progress. The study is conducted by the University of Alberta and aims to understand how VR can support better rehabilitation experiences and outcomes for patients with speech disorders.

Researchers are studying bilingual individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a condition marked by difficulties in speech and language. This trial evaluates the effects of speech-language treatments tailored to the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of bilingual speakers with PPA. It aims to understand how bilingual experiences, like language use and strength, relate to treatment response and to explore brain mechanisms involved in language recovery and resilience in PPA. The study includes two main behavioral interventions based on PPA variant types. Participants with nonfluent/agrammatic PPA engage in Video-Implemented Script Training for Aphasia (VISTA), practicing personally relevant scripts via teletherapy and independent computer exercises. Those with logopenic or semantic variant PPA receive Lexical Retrieval Training (LRT), focusing on word retrieval strategies through teletherapy and computer-based practice. These treatments occur over several weeks with assessments before, after, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Additionally, some participants undergo brain imaging before treatment. Participants complete regular evaluations of speech intelligibility and naming ability, along with questionnaires and speech feature analyses at multiple time points. The study monitors treatment effects through teletherapy sessions, independent practice, and structured language assessments. Safety and progress are tracked throughout the study, which lasts over a year to capture both immediate and longer-term outcomes of the tailored speech-language interventions.

Researchers are studying the effects of aripiprazole, a drug that affects dopamine, on adults who stutter. Stuttering is a speech disorder that affects fluency, and this study aims to better understand the sensorimotor pathways involved in stuttering and explore possible treatments. The study focuses on how fluency may improve through auditory feedback changes or drugs that regulate dopamine uptake. Participants will receive a single oral dose of 10 mg aripiprazole or a placebo. The study is randomized and triple-blinded, meaning neither participants nor administrators know which treatment is given. This dose is investigational for stuttering and differs from typical uses of aripiprazole, which is approved for other mental health conditions. During the study, participants will be assessed 3 to 4 hours after taking the dose for changes in speech-related brain activity and auditory processing, such as pre-speech auditory modulation and feedback alterations. Researchers will measure these outcomes to understand how aripiprazole affects speech fluency and sensorimotor function. The study is sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco and includes healthy adults aged 18 to 65 who stutter.

Researchers are evaluating the effects and cost-utility of two different speech therapy intensities for Belgian Dutch-speaking children aged 4 to 12 years with a cleft palate, with or without a cleft lip. The goal is to determine if a high intensity speech intervention leads to better speech outcomes, improved quality of life, and greater cost-effectiveness compared to the traditional low intensity approach. This large-scale randomized controlled trial aims to generate evidence to support wider clinical use of the more intensive therapy if proven beneficial. The study compares two speech therapy programs provided by trained first-line speech-language pathologists in private practice. One group receives high intensity therapy consisting of 30-minute sessions five times per week for two blocks of four weeks (total 20 hours). The other group receives low intensity therapy with 30-minute sessions twice per week for 20 weeks (also 20 hours total). Both programs focus on phonetic articulation and phonological principles using child-friendly techniques and games. Participants will be assessed multiple times before, during, and after therapy to measure speech improvements, such as consonant proficiency and intelligibility, as well as health-related quality of life. Researchers will also evaluate cost-utility based on quality-adjusted life years. Follow-ups continue up to three months post-intervention. The study includes various speech and communication assessments to track progress and aims to provide comprehensive data on therapy effectiveness and economic impact.

Researchers are studying the effect of a new topical mucosa composition called XCM-OM118, delivered as a gel and mouthwash, on severe oral mucositis in patients with Head & Neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy. The study also assesses patients' quality of life using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to better understand their physical and emotional state during and after treatment. The study is divided into two phases. Phase 1 lasts six weeks during radiotherapy, where patients apply two pumps of the gel before bedtime, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and before and after each therapy session. Phase 2 begins six months after cancer treatment completion and involves a one-month use of the gel and mouthwash to evaluate long-term quality of life. During this phase, patients complete questionnaires before and after the intervention. Participants will be monitored weekly during radiotherapy for oral mucositis severity using the WHO scale and patient questionnaires about pain and function. In Phase 2, quality of life is assessed using the University of Washington PROMs questionnaire covering pain, appearance, and activity. Researchers will track adverse effects such as allergic reactions or irritation throughout. The study aims to measure the frequency and timing of severe oral mucositis and changes in quality of life after using the composition.

Researchers are investigating the best speech therapy approaches for children aged 4 to 12 years old who have a cleft palate with or without a cleft lip and show specific compensatory speech characteristics. The study aims to compare three types of speech therapy methods to find the most effective treatment for improving speech and quality of life in Belgian Dutch-speaking children. Additionally, the research looks at how well these speech improvements last over time and whether new speech skills transfer to other sounds. The trial compares three speech therapy methods: a motor-phonetic approach focusing on phoneme-by-phoneme articulation, a phonological approach emphasizing sound contrasts and self-monitoring, and a combined phonetic-phonological approach targeting multiple errors within meaningful language contexts. Children will receive one of these therapies tailored to their specific type of compensatory speech characteristic, categorized as anterior oral, posterior oral, or non-oral. Therapy progresses through defined steps depending on the approach and child performance. Participants will be assessed at multiple times: immediately before therapy, immediately after, and at 1, 3, and 6 months post-intervention. Assessments include measuring consonant proficiency, how understandable the child's speech is in context, and health-related quality of life. The study is randomized and double-blinded to compare effects fairly. The total participation duration includes therapy and follow-up assessments to evaluate both short-term and long-term learning and retention of speech improvements.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a common chronic condition among older adults that negatively affects speech comprehension, leading to social isolation, reduced quality of life, and increased dementia risk. This research aims to better understand how listening effort (LE)—the extra mental work needed to understand speech—affects language processing and memory in older adults with SNHL. The study combines clinical audiology, psycholinguistics, and cognitive neuroscience to explore these effects using novel techniques. Participants will experience all study conditions in a 2 x 3 within-subjects design involving sentences spoken in either conversational or clear speech styles. The sentences include normal, semantic violation, or syntactic violation target words. Speech will be presented with background noise to create acoustic challenges. Data will be collected through EEG brain activity recordings and pupil dilation measurements to assess listening effort and language processing. After listening, participants will complete a memory test identifying sentences and recalling target words. The study involves a single session lasting 3 to 4 hours, including hearing and cognitive assessments, an audibility control task, and the main EEG/pupillometry experiment. Participants will be seated in a quiet room while listening to sentences and undergoing continuous brain and pupil monitoring. The primary outcomes include measurements of brain responses (N400 and P600 amplitudes and latencies), pupil dilation during listening, and delayed recognition memory immediately after the listening task. Participants will be debriefed after completion.