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Ask HN: App Idea to Cure Stuttering

3 points by koksinghew ↗ HN
I've struggled with stuttering since I was 9. It continues to affect me even now. This is something only my family knows about. Anyone else facing this? Any advice or experiences to share?

I'm thinking to build something to help people like me.

8 comments

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koksinghew
I imagine something that can provide real-time feedback using voice recognition and AI analysis, possibly monitor physiological signals related to stress that cause stutter
ada1981
My dad had a stutter as a kid.

When he was playing tennis, the kid across the court was mocking my dads stutter. At some point my dad lost it, jumped the net and started beating the shit out of the kid. While he was on top of him, my dad was “mocking” the other kid by talking how he talked… turns out the kid didn’t have a stutter.

My dad never had a stutter again.

Have you done deeper psychological work to explore what is going on with you when you were 9? Transpersonal work? I’m a coach and would be happy to have a gifted session with you to explore if any of our tools can help.

koksinghew
Hey,

Thanks for sharing your father's story, I have not done any psychological work but I'm aware that there can be psychological aspects to stuttering and I appreciate your offer for a coaching session.

I'm not really sure what caused me to stutter, but I still stutter now (I'm 22). Even today when I order at a restaurant, my stutter just kicks in, I could not pronounce anything.

ada1981
A basic approach would be to take a moment to stop and notice the feeling in your body when you start to stutter.

What are the emotions?

Where do you feel them?

Give your self space to ask them (the feelings) what they are trying to show you, what they need, how old they are, etc.

I’d do this with closed eyes and some belly breathing.

There are are other tools but I’d start with that somatic inquiry.

koksinghew
Ok so let’s say, we start the somatic inquiry in the middle of a conversation, wouldn’t the other feel weird? Like why am I taking so long to response to them?
Trouble_007
app to delay audio from the phone microphone and bluetooth feed to 'bone conduction headphones' May work?

>Auditory processing deficits have also been proposed as a cause of stuttering.

Stuttering is less prevalent in deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals,

and stuttering may be reduced when auditory feedback is altered,

such as by masking, delayed auditory feedback (DAF), or frequency altered feedback.

There is some evidence that the functional organization of the auditory cortex may be different in people who stutter.

Stuttering : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttering

Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_auditory_feedback

Bone conduction : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_conduction

koksinghew
I don’t get how this work, could you elaborate more?
Trouble_007
Read the section under : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttering#Causes

See the piece I quoted regarding 'Auditory Masking' and 'Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF)', or 'Frequency Altered Feedback'?

Develop a phone-app to use the phones' microphone to have adjustable delay, frequency-equalization and noise injection.

Find Bluetooth 'bone conduction headphones' that conducts through the collar-bone, these can be worn under a shirt.

Auditory Masking : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_masking

Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) - Effects in People who Stutter : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_auditory_feedback#Effe...

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