VR Used by the MSU Developmental Speech Lab to Research Stuttering
The Developmental Speech Lab at Michigan State University is using virtual reality technology to look at the root reasons of stuttering. The National Institutes of Health awarded the lab a funding in 2020 so they could investigate youngsters between the ages of three and six who stammer. However, the commencement of children’s research was postponed until 2022 because of the COVID-19 epidemic. The difficulties caused by stuttering were emphasised by the lab’s director, Bridget Walsh, an associate professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders.
The fluctuation of stuttering is one of its distinguishing features. Certain settings may make stutterers feel more comfortable than others. For instance, during lab visits, children can sometimes show no symptoms of stuttering, leading researchers to question parents about whether this behaviour is usual at home. The fact that the answer often shows a disparity emphasises how crucial it is to comprehend this variability.
Different speaking situations may cause an individual’s sympathetic nervous system activity to rise, which can be measured via eye movement, heart rate, and skin conductance. In order to fully immerse people in these settings, virtual reality is essential.
In partnership with Gareth Walkon, the creator of withVR, who use virtual reality in adult clinical settings for stuttering treatment, the lab created two unique VR situations. In contrast to VR, MSU’s lab only utilises VR for research—it is not used for therapeutic reasons.
One low-stakes scenario involves interacting with a cat. The individual answers queries directly to the kitten rather than the voice when they hear it speaking in the background. People who stammer have reported that speaking to babies or animals typically helps them stutter less, which is why this contact was chosen.
In the second scenario, which is considered high-stakes, the subject is seated in a circle with classmates on each side, facing the instructor directly. After that, the youngster responds to enquiries from the instructor and the other pupils.
Three to six-year-old children are the focus of research since this age group is crucial for understanding stuttering. Around their third birthday, most children start stuttering, and if it will go away, it typically does so one to two years after it first appears. Children who outgrow this window of three to six years are more likely to have chronic stuttering.
