iCanSpeak

iCanSpeak is a set of tools that help someone who stutters improve their fluency using Altered Audio Feedback and Shaping exercises with a Speech Language Pathologist.

Many people who stutter, do not when they sing, shout, whisper, swear or choral speak.

iCanSpeak Live emulates choral speaking by using the mic on a set of headphones to capture the voice of the user, delay it slightly, and then replay the voice into the ear pieces of the headphones.

Altered Audio Feedback (AAF) or Delayed Audio Feedback (DAF) is not a new concept, and has been around for decades. Many studies were done before smart phones allowed 'all day' usage.

iCanSpeak Live is intended to be used for longer durations (most of a day) by a user to assist in fluency. The app will run in background on an iPhone, and can run for multiple hours in a day. To maximize battery life it can be turned off during longer periods of time when the user will not be speaking.

iCanSpeak Techniques include six different exercises that can be used with a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) as shaping exercises.

The Breathing exercise provides a timer for a user to ensure that full breaths are being taken.

For sound shaping, exercises for Phonemes, Single Syllable Words, Multiple Syllable Words and Sentences will draw on a data base of over 2000 options grouped by sound class. With the option of setting both the intended duration of the sound, and the number of repetitions, the sound can be practiced with an appropriate technique.

The Choral Reading module exercise provides sentences that can be read by the iOS device at a rate selected by the user. The system also provides an option to bring in any text from the clipboard, and have that text read out loud.