Technology and the evolution of clinical methods for stuttering
- Authors: Packman, Ann , Meredith, Grant
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Fluency Disorders Vol. 36, no. 2 (2011), p. 75-85
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: 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 Internet. Compared to 20 years ago, people who stutter and their families can now make more informed choices about speech-language interventions, from a distance. Blogs and chat rooms provide opportunities for people who stutter to share their experiences from a distance and to support one another. New technologies are also being adopted into speech-language pathology practice and service delivery. Telehealth is an exciting development as it means that treatment can now be made available to many rural and remotely located people who previously did not have access to it. Possible future technological developments for speech-language pathology practice include Internet based treatments and the use of Virtual Reality. Having speech and CBT treatments for stuttering available on the Internet would greatly increase their accessibility. Second Life also has exciting possibilities for people who stutter.Educational objectives: The reader will (1) explain how people who stutter and their families can get information about stuttering from the World Wide Web, (2) discuss how new technologies have been applied in speech-language pathology practice, and (3) summarize the principles and practice of telehealth delivery of services for people who stutter and their families. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.
Stuttering, disability and the higher education sector in Australia
- Authors: Meredith, Grant , Packman, Ann , Marks, Genee
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Vol. 14, no. 4 (2012), p. 370-376
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The aim of this study was to ascertain the extent to which Australian public universities and their associated disability liaison services offer web-based information for current or prospective students who stutter. The disability pages of the websites of all 39 public universities in Australia were visited and the information about disability services assessed according to 12 criteria developed by the authors. Results indicate that there is a dearth of information on Australian university websites available for students or prospective students who stutter. Only 13% of the sites reported any form of alternative teaching and assessment procedures for speech-impaired students and only 51% of 39 disability liaison officers responded when contacted by email. Such a student could not make an informed choice to enrol in a university based upon the information on disability services available on public Australian university websites. © 2012 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited.
The perceived benefits of video-based simulation for people who stutter
- Authors: Meredith, Grant , Achterbosch, Leigh
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 10th Oxford Dysfluency Conference, ODC 2014 p. 316-317
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The use of virtual worlds and video games offer exciting new avenues for the treatment of communication disorders and ongoing client support. But these new avenues need time to be envisaged, developed and rigorously evaluated. Also, perhaps the potential users themselves of such systems will need additional time to become comfortable and able to interact efficiently with them. Conceivably during this era of rapid technological advancements some basic virtual systems could be more swiftly introduced and trialled in order to complement existing therapy and support methods. A video-based simulation platform called Scenari-Aid fits this criterion. The aim of this study was to survey the perceptions of people who stutter who had used Scenari-Aid to assist them with their fluency and related anxieties. Could a simple, and relatively cheap to develop, simulation system have perceived benefits for a person who stutters and could these perceived benefits be translated beyond their practice environment? Over a six month period starting in late 2011, a 54 question online survey was made avail able to people who stutter and who were members of Speak Easy Australia and the McGuire Programme (Australia). To be eligible for the study you had to be over 18, have worked through a majority of the scenarios that were included in the Scenari-Aid application and have given the application more than one single attempt. It was assumed that most of the respondents would have been actively using a fluency shaping technique of some form during that time period. Questions were themed in terms of product quality, perceptions of fluency, value to therapy, effect on anxiety and product worth. Overall 37 completed responses were gathered and analysed using descriptive statistics. The results of this study were very encouraging in terms of the perceived effects that a simple simulation system could offer a person who stutters. Broadly speaking a majority of the users of Scenari-Aid found the system intuitive to use and understand. The most encouraging results stemmed from respondent's perception of their fluency and anxiety. Users indicated that by using this simple system that they felt their levels of fluency and speech confidence increasing. In terms of anxiety a majority of the users indicated that the system helped to ease anxieties related to speaking in public. Importantly though a majority of the users indicated that the system assisted them to better manage their speech and aided with self-critiquing speech progress. The results of this study indicate that there are perceived benefits for people who stutter to use video-based simulations to assist them with overall levels of fluency and social speaking confidence. The study also indicates that such a system could perhaps compliment conventional speech therapy and related support systems. More research is now required to investigate beyond user perceptions and to evaluate if indeed a simple video-based simulation system has real positive effects on rates of fluency, levels of anxiety and worth to conventional therapy techniques.
Fostering a culture of pride
- Authors: Meredith, Grant
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: International Stuttering Awareness Day Online Conference, 2016. Stuttering Pride
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: A popular saying exists with many variations which states that “Pride goes before a fall”. But perhaps in the case of the global stuttering community it could be seen that a fall has occurred even before general pride has been felt? From my point of view, pride of being a person who stutters has only ever been positively discussed or promoted within small circles of people who stutter, let alone promoted outside to the general non-stuttering public. The pure idea that you can be proud of the person that you have become and incorporate your stuttering into your identity in a positive manner is such a debatable topic and often the ember which flares very heated communication exchanges amongst people who stutter.
The use of an interactive social simulation tool for adults who stutter : a pilot study
- Authors: Meredith, Grant , Achterbosch, Leigh , Peck, Blake , Terry, Daniel , Dekker, Evan , Packman, Ann
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education Vol. 13, no. 1 (2023), p. 187-198
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study reports a user evaluation of a DVD-based social simulator, developed for people who stutter to potentially gain confidence in using a learned fluency technique. The aim was to examine and evaluate the pilot of the DVD-based social simulator, Scenari-Aid, to inform the development of an online version of the program. Thirty-seven adults who were stuttering were recruited to the study from non-professional groups in Australia. The DVD comprised scenarios with actors in real-life settings that were designed to elicit verbal responses. Participants worked through the scenarios at their own rate and then completed an online survey. The survey comprised 29 statements requiring responses on a 5-point Likert scale and provided information about users’ perceptions of participating in the social simulations. There was high positive agreement among the participants on all statements, the most important being that they perceived the scenarios represented in everyday speaking situations and that they felt immersed in them. Participants also agreed that both their fluency and confidence increased in everyday speaking situations as a result of working through the DVD scenarios. The developers were satisfied that, despite the subjective nature of the findings, the study provided sufficient support for constructing the online version, which is now available to the public free of charge. Further research is needed to provide empirical evidence of the contribution it can make to the efficacy of speech programs for adults who stutter. © 2023 by the authors.
To be, or not to be, that is the question : stuttering into academia
- Authors: Meredith, Grant
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Research partners with lived experience : stories from patients and survivors Chapter 4 p. 43-56
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In this chapter Grant Meredith, the discipline leader of Information Technology for the Global Professional School at Federation University (Australia) outlines his journey as a person who stutters from his rural Australian upbringing through to being an Information Technology academic. This passage to academia is a reflection on an unconventional odyssey that has meandered from blue collar careers to a university education and beyond. The author discusses what it means to him to have vocal difference and how it may have influenced his research path. Along the way he questions his identity as a person who stutters and find his own “community” to engage within.