Technical solutions for quantitative and qualitative assessments of speech fluency

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Biomedical engineering
• Clinical diagnostics

Background:

• Review of current and emerging technical solutions for speech fluency assessment.
• Focus on tools enabling valid, reliable, and accurate measurements of speech fluency disruptions.
• Consideration of both established and novel technologies for stuttering evaluation.

Observation:

• Many established technical solutions for stuttering assessment exist but receive limited attention.
• Numerous new technologies for speech fluency assessment are emerging or in late development stages.
• A significant lack of empirical performance data for these emerging technologies is noted.

Findings:

• Clinicians currently lack adequate performance-related data for newly available speech fluency assessment technologies.
• Existing technical solutions, though known, have not garnered significant attention.
• Emerging technologies require empirical validation before widespread clinical adoption.

Implications:

• This review aims to assist clinicians in making informed judgments about the efficacy of new speech fluency assessment technologies.
• Highlights the critical need for empirical data to support the adoption of new diagnostic tools.
• Emphasizes the importance of evidence-based selection of technologies for speech fluency assessment and stuttering evaluation.