Anti-Stammer Device Tricks The Brain

A new earpiece has given hope to people who suffer from stammering. The technology allows the user to hear an echo of their voice and is showing promising results as Sky's Health Correspondent Thomas Moore reports.

Clinical physiologist, Peter Jones, explained that this mimics what is known as the choral effect, when people who normally stammer are able to sing in a choir with fluency:

"So what it does is fool the brain into thinking that someone else is there. That gives them the confidence to continue with speech and be more fluent."

The device is transforming livesNatalie Riley was one of the first in the country to be fitted with the device, at the BMI Alexandra Hospital in Manchester.

She used to have a severe stutter that wasn't responding to speech therapy, and she was becoming increasingly withdrawn: "Now it's better because I have more confidence," she said.

She has recently won an award for drama making her Mum, Lindsey, proud: "She is so much more confident. She goes out and talks to people. She's like another child."

The SpeechEasy device costs three thousand pounds and it's currently available at just seven private clinics.

But audiologists hope it will soon be more widely available and free on the NHS.

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