Theory of speech correction
with the help of BreathMaker

The physiology of stutter. Our vision of the disorder

1. The speech process is a circular process (Figure 43).

Figure 43. Circular speech process

2. The speech circle is formed by the 3 brain speech centers:

a) the Broca’s center creates the speech controlling the speech muscles.

b) the Wernicke’s center distinguishes one’s own speech and other people’s speech (the acoustical center of the speech).

c) the associative center makes the structure of phrases.

The location of the Broca’s and the Wernicke’s centers in the brain cortex (Figure 44).

Figure 44. The location of the speech centers

3. The break-up of the speech circle in any point destroys the speech process.

Examples:

·        Deafness blocks the Wernicke's area. The attempt of restoring the speech circle makes a deaf person speak in a loud voice. Absolute deafness makes a person deaf mute owing to the full break of the speech circle at the Wernicke's center. In neurology this condition is called sensor aphasia.

·        The Broca's center is affected at children's cerebral paralysis. The serious form of this disease also dramatically breaks-up the speech or makes it impossible due to the full break of the speech circle at the Broca's area. In neurology this is called motor aphasia.

·        The Associative center is affected at some neurological diseases and brain injuries. Thus the ability of composing phrases is damaged. However, the given disorders cannot be often found since the Associative centre is less strictly structured than the others.

4. Stutter is a periodical break-up of the speech circle (=unstable work of the speech circle).

Why do these periodical breaks of a speech circle happen?

The main contradiction that causes stutter consists in the following. On the one hand, it is necessary for the existence of the speech circle and a durable speech process that all the three speech centers work synchronously. But on the other hand, these three centers have different biological capacities and, therefore, are developed not simultaneously, but consecutively.

An infant starts “babbling” during the first months of its life.

·        That means that the first center to be formed is the most powerful one - the Broca's center. Several months later the child begins to allocate and distinguish vital words, e.g. "mama" etc.

·        That means that the second to be formed is the acoustical Wernicke’s center, that distinguishes words.

• And only by the age of 24 months the most fragile center – the Associative centre is formed. Its development is conditioned on educational, cultural and other features. At this particular time the child begins to speak in phrases. Normally by the age of 2 or 3 years old the child learns to synchronize the speech centers. But sometimes this process may be broken.

Figure 45. Regular work of the speech circle

Figure 46. Pathologic work of the speech circle

Potentially, there’s a difference between each person’s speech centers. However, stutter appears only if this difference becomes excessive. In this case the work of the speech circle is unstable.

The most widespread reasons of excessive difference between the speech centers are:

à) the peculiarities of mediator structure of the speech centers that may partly be handed down. In this case stutter arises in the age of 3 (+/-1 a year),

b) The factor of re-trained left-handedness when, as the re-training continues, the Broca's center moves from one brain hemisphere to the other. In this case, stutter arises in the age of 6 (+/-1 year). It is connected with the right/left hand accentuation,

c) Insufficiency or the break-up of the mechanisms of synchronization due to a fright, stress, draining diseases, narcosis undergone in the past.

Symptoms and models of stuttering

The external symptoms of the disease, first of all, are determined by over excitation of the Broca's area.

As soon as its synchronization is broken, low-frequency (0-10 Hz) over-excitation spreads by a nearby impellent brain cortex, causing spasms (the muscular spasm is a low-frequency process). Thus, the Broca's center breaks up the speech circle by its low-frequency component. Some consonants, for example "p", "st" and others, have a very evident low-frequency spectrum. Vowels have practically no low-frequency component. For this reason the muscular spasm very often arises on consonants and very seldom on vowels.

The artificially caused stutter

Model 1

The researches involving volunteers which have been carried out in the medical centre, have shown, that in 100 % of cases it is possible to cause stutter in healthy people by creating an artificial break of the speech circle, according to the given circuit:

The normal speech of a healthy examinee > a microphone > a computer > short (0,1-0,3 sec.) artificial breaks of speech provided by the special program > headphones > the perception of the broken speech > artificially caused stutter.

Accordingly, when the breaks are eliminated stutter disappears.

Model 2

It is well-known that psychological excitation reduces inhibition mechanisms of synchronization of the speech centers. The increase of the speech tempo increases the speed of work of the Broca's center since it is responsible for the speech tempo. During an experiment stutter can be provoked in any person, if he/she is forced to speak in a high rate (e.g. to read quickly-running lines) in the state of emotional excitement (emotionally significant stimuli).

5. For the elimination of stutter the only condition is necessary. The speeds of work of the speech centers should be synchronized.

The ways of synchronization of speeds of the speech brain centers (the overview of "old" methods)

Before the BreathMaker the most distinguished idea in treatment of stutter and logoneuroses was the idea of use of various specific or non-specific inhibition techniques. The purpose of these techniques is the inhibition of the Broca's center as the most powerful speech center.

Logopaedic techniques.

Direct inhibition of the Broca's center.

1.      Slowing down of speech tempo or speaking in a singing voice (it is the Broca's center that controls the speech tempo).

2.       "Speech rythmization" as a way of its deceleration (the slow rhythm is always set).

3.      The method of long silence (full blockade of the Broca's center).

Indirect motor inhibition of the Broca's center.

Inhibition of motor Broca’s center due to the excitation of other motor centers - the principle of reciprocal inhibition.

1.      Conducting of the speech, rhythmic finger pressings - Andronova's method.

2.      Control of respiratory movements - Strelnikova's method.

3.      The motor control of the articulation organs.

4.      Support of speech by simultaneous writing.

Neuropathology methods:

1.      Medicamental inhibition of motor activity of a brain (phenibutum, tranquilizers, neuroleptics etc.)

2.      Sedative broths and tinctures.

3.      Physiotherapeutic procedures - sedative techniques.

4.      Acupuncture and reflex therapy - sedative techniques.

5.      Hypnosis creating a dominant of inhibition of nervous centers activity.

6.      General improving health therapy and therapy improving brain nutrition cells.

7.      Abirritating psychotherapy including attempts of social adaptation.

Basic principles of speech correction with the help of BreathMaker

BreathMaker trains the speech according to the principles of resonant speech production training technique.

Resonant speech production training technique includes 3 basic elements:

1. The training of the voice resonant pitch.

2. The training of the voice timbre – in our case, of the high formant.

3. The training of the voice purity.

The first modification is the modification of the speech circle while working with headphones.

BreathMaker fits as a prosthesis into the speech circle between the Broca's and the Wernicke's centers. Stuttering person uses only the modified speech. The channel of direct speech perception is completely blocked by means of the method technique. Full prosthetics of the speech circle causes:

à) Dramatic inhibition of over-excitation of the Broca's center and the stabilization of speeds of the speech centers,

b) 2-3x increase of exhalation duration, due to the increase of duration of the vowels (the training of the correct breath and involvement of the motor sphere in the process of speech formation),

c) Elimination of perception of the speech breaks, due to the use of the program filters,

d) Suppression of the "fast" bone channel of perception of one’s own speech and re-orientation from the acoustic channel of the feedback to the respiratory one,

e) the training of resonant pitch of the voice. (the peak and the resonator).

Stutter is eliminated immediately in 100 % of cases even in its serious form. The treatment is carried out by means of acoustic and visual feedback.

The scheme of work of "speech prosthetic device" (microphone+computer+headphones) (Figure 47):

Figure 47. Prosthesis of the speech circle

The second modification is the elimination of hyperactivity of the Broca's center during the work without the headphones.

BreathMaker reorganizes the work of the Broca’s center.

The treatment is held by means of visual feedback.

1. The training of the voice resonant pitch – the peak and the resonator (see above) (Figure 48).

Figure 48. The training of the voice resonant pitch

2. The training of the voice timbre – the high formant (Figure 49).

area 1 - The average spectral overtones density is lower than the basic tone. These low-frequency overtones are "responsible" for the speech spasms.

area 2 - The basic tone of speech that determines the voice pitch is allocated within shaded area (typically 80-340 Hz).

area 3 - The average spectral overtones density is higher than the basic tone. It includes the low and the high formant of the voice.

Figure 49. The training of the voice timbre

Line 1 – the generation of low-frequency consonants, “responsible” for a speech spasm (~0-80 Hz). It is anatomically connected with the work of speech organs above the vocal chords. Sound-producing is minimized.

Line 2 – the basic speech tone that determines the pitch of the voice. It is anatomically connected with the work of the vocal chords (~80-340 Hz). The vocal chords are relaxed.

Line 3 – the generation of the low formant of the voice, that adds velvety overtones to the voice (~340-600 - 1000 Hz).

Line 4 – the generation of the high formant of the voice that adds brightness and confidence to the voice (~1800 Hz and higher). Anatomically, it is connected with the bifurcation of the trachea. The sound-producing is at maximum (Figure 50).

Figure 50. High formant area in the voice spectrum

3. The training of the voice purity.

The voice clarity is 100% - clear octave peaks can be seen (Figure 51.

Figure 51. Voice clarity window with clear octave peaks

The clarity of the voice is 10% no clear octave peaks can be seen (Figure 52).

Figure 52. Voice clarity window without clear octave peaks

To achieve the guaranteed result there are two basic requirements that the patients must meet.

1. To be able to keep the value of the high formant equal to not less than 30 % during 50 minutes without a break at natural loudness of the voice. The natural loudness and the resonant pitch are the indispensable conditions, since otherwise the received skills cannot be used in real life.

2. During the first month it is a must to stick to the following type of speech behavior: to pronounce each phrase only after feeling ready to pronounce it with the necessary value of the formants (the formant goes first, the phrase goes second).

Total amount of the training sessions of the basic course is 30 sessions.

Supporting therapy consists of two training sessions per week during 4 months.

Continuity or the method

The forced speech modification technique has been carried out and approved in logopaedic practice during the long time and includes elements of DAF, FAF, MAF etc.

The current realization of the acoustic feedback technique allows to sufficiently increase its reliability and availability. It also allows to expand the method’s opportunities by means of speech visualization and elimination of the overtones responsible for speech spasms.

In the 6^th version of BreathMaker, the medical factors that provide antidepressant effect of the modified speech are stipulated – this is the patented technology of RC of Biocybernetics. The efficiency of this patented technology for speech disorders treatment has been confirmed by independent research performed by companies BWC_Ltd. (Great Britain) and ITTG_Inc. (Israel).

In the 6^th version of BreathMaker the technology of anthropometrical voice training is used. This technology is called resonant speech production training technique and is the patented technology of RC of Biocybernetics.