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Jokar AHR, Roche S, Karimi H. Stuttering on Instagram: What is the focus of stuttering-related Instagram posts and how do users engage with them? JOURNAL OF FLUENCY DISORDERS 2023; 78:106021. [PMID: 37972424 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfludis.2023.106021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Instagram has become a popular platform for sharing and seeking health-related information, including stuttering. However, concerns have been raised about the accuracy, confidentiality, and potential negative impact of such information. This study aims to examine how stuttering is defined and understood on Instagram, and how users engage with related content. METHODS We analyzed highly engaged Instagram posts with the hashtag "#Stuttering" published within a year and their corresponding comments using thematic analysis. RESULTS The results revealed four main themes and nine sub-themes that highlighted different understandings of stuttering on Instagram, including the need for intervention, emotional impact on people who stutter, positive meanings, and mental health implications. User engagement varied based on the nature of the post, with users showing appreciation, objections, seeking advice, celebrating success stories, mocking, or advocating for people who stutter. CONCLUSION Although Instagram can serve as a means of normalizing stuttering and highlighting success stories, it raises concerns about the promotion of non-evidence-based treatments and the use of stuttering for political or entertainment purposes. This study emphasizes the need to critically evaluate health-related information presented on social media platforms. To provide reliable information to PWS and their families who seek information on social media, it is recommended to promote evidence-based information on stuttering through trustworthy organizations such as the National Stuttering Association or the Stuttering Foundation, particularly on special occasions like International Stuttering Awareness Day.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven Roche
- Faculty of Health, Charles Darwin University, Australia
| | - Hamid Karimi
- Faculty of Health, Charles Darwin University, Australia.
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Leko Krhen A, Šušak L. Internet searches conducted by people who stutter: association with speech-language therapy and severity of stuttering. LOGOP PHONIATR VOCO 2023; 48:146-153. [PMID: 35412931 DOI: 10.1080/14015439.2022.2044513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Stuttering is a fluency disorder that is multidimensional because it involves more than speech difficulties. People who stutter can use the Internet to find out more about their condition and connect with other people in the same position, yet in Croatia, there are not nearly as many online sources on stuttering or as many possibilities to connect with other people who stutter as in the USA or Great Britain. If one does not speak English well, a lot of information about stuttering will simply be denied to them, especially to those who have never received speech therapy. The present study, the first of its kind in Croatia, was conducted in order to understand how often and for what reasons people who stutter search for Internet resources related to their condition. The study also assessed whether Internet use depended on age, experience with speech-language therapy, self-reported satisfaction with such therapy, and self-assessed severity of stuttering. An online questionnaire integrating the 9-Point Stuttering Severity Scale was developed for this study and administered to 51 individuals aged 18 years and older in Croatia. All collected data and findings on the internet searches come from the questionnaire. Age did not significantly affect the frequency or purpose of Internet searches. Individuals who were not attending speech therapy were more likely to search online sources about stuttering than those who received it before. People who rated their stuttering as severe were more likely to search online sources for stuttering than those who rated their condition as mild. These results suggest that there is a need for more useful, high-quality online content and materials in Croatian for people who stutter. Such resources would offer people who stutter a new world of support, mutual understanding, shared experiences and knowledge, and ways for them to help themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Leko Krhen
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lucia Šušak
- Elementary School Eugen Kumičić, Slatina, Croatia
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The Use of an Interactive Social Simulation Tool for Adults Who Stutter: A Pilot Study. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ 2023; 13:187-198. [PMID: 36661764 PMCID: PMC9858588 DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe13010014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Raj EX, Daniels DE, Thomson PE. Facebook groups for people who stutter: An extension of and supplement to in-person support groups. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2023; 101:106295. [PMID: 36603411 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Online support group experiences, using social networking websites like Facebook, have shown much promise in past research unrelated to stuttering. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the utility of a Facebook-based stuttering support group that was created as an extension of and supplement to an in-person stuttering support group as a means of providing psychosocial support for people who stutter (PWS). METHOD A qualitative approach that was inspired by ethnography was used to explore the experiences of seven participants (six participants who stutter and one participant who does not stutter) who digitally connect on a private Facebook-based stuttering support group that was created as an extension of and supplement to an already existing in-person stuttering support group. The main question posed to the participants related to describing their experiences being a member of the Facebook-based stuttering support group. RESULTS Data analysis revealed two major themes, which included the benefits and challenges of participating in a Facebook-based stuttering support group. Each major theme contained five subthemes. Specific results are discussed with reference to past research, as well as implications for practice and recommendations for future research. CONCLUSIONS There are numerous benefits and challenges associated with being a member of a Facebook-based stuttering support group. However, the overall utility of a Facebook-based stuttering support group, used in tandem with an in-person stuttering support experience, seems to provide members with a useful and impactful way to gain psychosocial support from other PWS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik X Raj
- Monmouth University, Department of Speech-Language Pathology, 400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764, USA.
| | - Derek E Daniels
- Wayne State University, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 5201 Cass Avenue, 103 Prentis Building, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Paula E Thomson
- Monmouth University, Department of Speech-Language Pathology, 400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764, USA
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Zraick RI, Azios M, Handley MM, Bellon-Harn ML, Manchaiah V. Quality and readability of internet information about stuttering. JOURNAL OF FLUENCY DISORDERS 2021; 67:105824. [PMID: 33316553 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfludis.2020.105824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We examined the quality and readability of English-language Internet information about stuttering and evaluated the results considering recommendations by experts in health literacy. METHOD A search of Internet websites containing information about stuttering was conducted. Three key words (i.e., stuttering, stammering, speech disfluency) were entered into five country-specific versions of the most commonly used Internet search engine. A total of 79 websites were assessed. Their origin (commercial, non-profit, government, personal or university), quality [Health On the Net (HON) certification and DISCERN scores], and readability [Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula (F-KGL), and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG)] were assessed. RESULTS Of the 79 websites, 38 % were of commercial, 42 % were of nonprofit organization, 15 % were of government and 5% were of university origins, respectively. Only 13 % had obtained HON certification and the mean DISCERN scores was 3.10 in a 5-point scale. The mean reading grade levels were at 13th and 14th grade and 100 % of the websites exceeded the recommended 5th to 6th reading grade level for health information. CONCLUSIONS The quality of Internet-based health information about the treatment of stuttering is generally adequate, but actual usability of the sites examined in this study may be limited due to poor readability levels. This is problematic in persons with poor literacy skills. Since the Internet can be readily accessed as a valuable consumer information resource, speech-language pathologists and other healthcare professionals have an opportunity to direct consumers to websites that provide readable information of good quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard I Zraick
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Health Professions and Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.
| | - Michael Azios
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA
| | - Melanie M Handley
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA
| | | | - Vinaya Manchaiah
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA; Department of Speech and Hearing, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka, India
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M. Fadzilah F, Arshad NI, Zainal-Abidin I, Low HM, Mahmood AK, Mohd Aszemi N, Zamin N. Stuttering mHealth Applications: Development of A Qualitative Rubric Assessment (Preprint). JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2020. [DOI: 10.2196/25914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Van Eerdenbrugh S, Packman A, Onslow M, O'brian S, Menzies R. Development of an internet version of the Lidcombe Program of early stuttering intervention: A trial of Part 1. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2018; 20:216-225. [PMID: 27908200 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2016.1257653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE There is evidence that access to treatment for early stuttering is not available for all who need it. An internet version of the Lidcombe Program for early stuttering (Internet-LP) has been developed to deal with this shortfall. The LP is suitable for such development because it is delivered by parents in the child's everyday environment, with training by a speech-language pathologist. A Phase I trial of Internet-LP Part 1, comprising parent training, is reported here. METHOD Eight parents of pre-schoolers who stutter were recruited and six completed the trial. RESULT Post-trial assessment indicated that the parents scored well for identifying and measuring stuttering and for knowledge about conducting practice sessions, including how to present verbal contingencies during practice sessions. CONCLUSION The results prompted minor adjustments to Part 1 and guided the construction of Part 2, which instructs parents during the remainder of the treatment process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Van Eerdenbrugh
- a Australian Stuttering Research Centre, The University of Sydney , Lidcombe , Australia and
- b Thomas More University College , Antwerp , Belgium
| | - Ann Packman
- a Australian Stuttering Research Centre, The University of Sydney , Lidcombe , Australia and
| | - Mark Onslow
- a Australian Stuttering Research Centre, The University of Sydney , Lidcombe , Australia and
| | - Sue O'brian
- a Australian Stuttering Research Centre, The University of Sydney , Lidcombe , Australia and
| | - Ross Menzies
- a Australian Stuttering Research Centre, The University of Sydney , Lidcombe , Australia and
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Allen C, McGroarty A, Aydin A. Perspectives on the past and the future: Clients' views for adult stammering. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THERAPY AND REHABILITATION 2014. [DOI: 10.12968/ijtr.2014.21.11.516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn Allen
- Clinical speech and language therapist, National Health Service, UK
| | - Allan McGroarty
- Clinical speech and language therapist and teaching fellow, School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, UK
| | - Ayse Aydin
- Research assistant, Faculty of Health Sciences, Anadolu University, Turkey
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Kelchner L. Telehealth and the Treatment of Voice Disorders: A Discussion Regarding Evidence. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1044/vvd23.3.88] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Telehealth is becoming a major component of healthcare delivery and consumption. Although it has a substantial history internationally and within certain U.S. health sectors (e.g., military, transport medicine, home health care), widespread application to broader populations of U.S. health care consumers has taken place within only the last decade. Telehealth permits increased access to care, particularly for rural and underserved populations (Mashima & Doarn, 2008). Additional benefits include improved convenience, reduced healthcare costs, and greater opportunity for supported self-management in the patient’s own environment. Moreover, given the use of technology to manage all other aspects of personal life, the health care consumer should expect that medicine and allied health will make progress toward adapting their traditional models of care to more effective and efficient methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Kelchner
- Department of Communication Sciences and DisordersUniversity of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH
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Oliveira CMCD, Pereira LJ. Gagueira desenvolvimental persistente: avaliação da fluência pré e pós-programa terapêutico. REVISTA CEFAC 2013. [DOI: 10.1590/s1516-18462013005000046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Objetivo : comparar a fluência de crianças com gagueira quanto à porcentagem de sílabas gaguejadas, porcentagem de descontinuidade da fala, fluxo de sílabas e palavras por minuto e gravidade da gagueira, em situação de pré e pós-aplicação do programa de intervenção fonoaudiológica. Método : participaram 10 crianças, na faixa etária de 6.0 a 11.11 anos, sendo 9 do gênero masculino e 1 do gênero feminino, provenientes do Laboratório de Estudos da Fluência. Todos os participantes deste estudo foram submetidos aos seguintes procedimentos agrupados em três etapas: (a) avaliação da fluência inicial; (b) desenvolvimento do processo terapêutico, e; (c) reavaliação da fluência. Resultados : em relação à avaliação após o programa terapêutico, observou-se uma melhora relevante no perfil da fluência, pois a maioria das medidas analisadas (descontinuidade de fala, disfluências gagas, fluxo de sílabas por minuto e gravidade da gagueira) apresentou diferenças estatisticamente significantes. Os achados indicaram que houve uma redução quantitativa nas rupturas o que ocasionou um aumento no fluxo de sílabas por minuto, e também uma diminuição na gravidade da gagueira. Estes resultados confirmam a eficácia terapêutica do programa de terapia aplicado. Conclusão : os resultados encontrados podem auxiliar o fonoaudiólogo em sua prática clínica, tanto na terapia como na realização do diagnóstico e do controle da eficácia terapêutica.
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Wolbring G, Diep L, Yumakulov S, Ball N, Leopatra V, Yergens D. Emerging Therapeutic Enhancement Enabling Health Technologies and Their Discourses: What Is Discussed within the Health Domain? Healthcare (Basel) 2013; 1:20-52. [PMID: 27429129 PMCID: PMC4934504 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare1010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Revised: 06/12/2013] [Accepted: 07/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
So far, the very meaning of health and therefore, treatment and rehabilitation is benchmarked to the normal or species-typical body. We expect certain abilities in members of a species; we expect humans to walk but not to fly, but a bird we expect to fly. However, increasingly therapeutic interventions have the potential to give recipients beyond species-typical body related abilities (therapeutic enhancements, TE). We believe that the perfect storm of TE, the shift in ability expectations toward beyond species-typical body abilities, and the increasing desire of health consumers to shape the health system will increasingly influence various aspects of health care practice, policy, and scholarship. We employed qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate among others how human enhancement, neuro/cognitive enhancement, brain machine interfaces, and social robot discourses cover (a) healthcare, healthcare policy, and healthcare ethics, (b) disability and (c) health consumers and how visible various assessment fields are within Neuro/Cogno/Human enhancement and within the BMI and social robotics discourse. We found that health care, as such, is little discussed, as are health care policy and ethics; that the term consumers (but not health consumers) is used; that technology, impact and needs assessment is absent; and that the imagery of disabled people is primarily a medical one. We submit that now, at this early stage, is the time to gain a good understanding of what drives the push for the enhancement agenda and enhancement-enabling devices, and the dynamics around acceptance and diffusion of therapeutic enhancements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Wolbring
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Specialization in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada.
| | - Lucy Diep
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Specialization in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada.
| | - Sophya Yumakulov
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada.
| | - Natalie Ball
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada.
| | - Verlyn Leopatra
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada.
| | - Dean Yergens
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada.
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Unger JP, Glück CW, Cholewa J. Immediate effects of AAF devices on the characteristics of stuttering: a clinical analysis. JOURNAL OF FLUENCY DISORDERS 2012; 37:122-134. [PMID: 22531287 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfludis.2012.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2011] [Revised: 02/04/2012] [Accepted: 02/13/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The present study investigated the immediate effects of altered auditory feedback (AAF) and one Inactive Condition (AAF parameters set to 0) on clinical attributes of stuttering during scripted and spontaneous speech. Two commercially available, portable AAF devices were used to create the combined delayed auditory feedback (DAF) and frequency altered feedback (FAF) effects. Thirty adults, who stutter, aged 18-68 years (M=36.5; SD=15.2), participated in this investigation. Each subject produced four sets of 5-min of oral reading, three sets of 5-min monologs as well as 10-min dialogs. These speech samples were analyzed to detect changes in descriptive features of stuttering (frequency, duration, speech/articulatory rate, core behaviors) across the various speech samples and within two SSI-4 (Riley, 2009) based severity ratings. A statistically significant difference was found in the frequency of stuttered syllables (%SS) during both Active Device conditions (p=.000) for all speech samples. The most sizable reductions in %SS occurred within scripted speech. In the analysis of stuttering type, it was found that blocks were reduced significantly (Device A: p=.017; Device B: p=.049). To evaluate the impact on severe and mild stuttering, participants were grouped into two SSI-4 based categories; mild and moderate-severe. During the Inactive Condition those participants within the moderate-severe group (p=.024) showed a statistically significant reduction in overall disfluencies. This result indicates, that active AAF parameters alone may not be the sole cause of a fluency-enhancement when using a technical speech aid. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES The reader will learn and be able to describe: (1) currently available scientific evidence on the use of altered auditory feedback (AAF) during scripted and spontaneous speech, (2) which characteristics of stuttering are impacted by an AAF device (frequency, duration, core behaviors, speech & articulatory rate, stuttering severity), (3) the effects of an Inactive Condition on people who stutter (PWS) falling into two severity groups, and (4) how the examined participants perceived the use of AAF devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia P Unger
- University of Education Heidelberg, Keplerstraße 87, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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