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From: Gunars K. Neiders neiders@halcyon.com
Date: 10/17/00
Time: 8:22:43 PM
Remote Name: 12.13.226.16
Judy,
I came across the following article. The website is below. I have had zero experience with this software. Maybe some of the professors would like to comment on it.
"The Jerusalem Post" - Tuesday, March 30, 1999 13 Nisan 5759 SO TO SPEAK By NICKY BLACKBURN
(March 28) - Until the age of 23 Arie Friedman was a so severely affected by a heavy stutter that, in an attempt to avoid speaking situations, he pursued a career in physics.
That was seven years ago.
Today, as president, CEO and founder of education and medical technologies specialist Speech Therapy Systems (STS), Friedman talks confidently and, as a result of his experiences, has developed a unique software program to help people with similar problems learn to speak fluently.
The software program, called Dr. Fluency, is now being sold in clinics, hospitals and schools in six countries; in Sweden it is a recognized treatment for stuttering.
This month it received special recognition when it was awarded the Prime Minister's Prize for Computer Software in the field of medicine and education.
This year the tiny eight-man start-up, based in Kiryat Arba, anticipates sales of $1 million; by 2002 Friedman expects to see that figure rise to $20m.
Overall, there are about 50 million stutterers in the world, says Friedman. In the US alone some three million people stutter.
Despite decades of research the cause of stuttering is not known, though - contrary to popular opinion - it is not thought to be caused by emotional distress. Some believe it might be caused genetically but scientists have been unable to pinpoint the actual reason.
What is known, however, is that it affects four times more men than women, and that 25% of all children go through a stage of development during which they stutter.
Stuttering can be extremely debilitating.
"It's very hard not to be able to say what you want," says Friedman. "You can't speak to people, can't teach, can't even ask a simple question in the supermarket. In many cases you just keep quiet. You learn to cope, but it's very hard. It restricts your life."
Friedman arrived in Israel from Riga, Latvia, in 1991 at the age of 23. He had been stuttering badly since the age of six and despite a range of treatments was unable to achieve speaking fluency.
While he was studying for his Ph.D. in physics at Beersheba's Ben-Gurion University, Friedman's tutor encouraged him to attend a three-week fluency-shaping course at the Hadassah-University Hospital Speech and Hearing Center in Jerusalem.
By the end of this period Friedman had lost his stutter.
"It changed my life," he says simply.
Having recognized that the treatment could be far more economical and effective if it were computerized, he approached the industrial-incubator program in Kiryat Arba, and by the end of 1992 STS was founded with a two-year grant of $250,000. Two years later, with the help of specialists at Hadassah, the software was completed.
The program, which is based on Hadassah's therapy and is designed for clinical and home use, combines all aspects of fluency-shaping therapy.
It uses multimedia technology combined with animated graphics to create an attractive and user-friendly package. A main feature of the program, which is accredited by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA), is the patented breathing monitor, which features linear measurement of chest and abdominal breathing; there's also an oscilloscope, feedback devices and a microphone headset.
Dr. Fluency should be used in conjunction with clinical therapy. At present, stutterers who become fluent after a course often relapse a few months later. The software prevents this from happening by maximizing the effectiveness of fluency shaping. This cuts patient costs enormously.
THE FIRST version of Dr. Fluency was presented at the Congress for Fluency Disorders in Munich in 1994 and proved a great success. A number of leading fluency treatment specialists joined STS's board of advisers.
After leaving the incubator the company received another $80,000 from the Chief Scientist's Office and a further $100,000 from the K.K. Newton investment fund. It also financed its activities by selling Internet products. Friedman doesn't want to discuss these, however, explaining that they are trade secrets.
The software first came out in Hebrew, followed by English, German and Swedish versions. The program has undergone testing at leading clinics around the world; sales to hospitals, clinics and school districts in the US, England, Sweden, Canada and Germany began last year.
Hadassah has been using the software for the last three years and Haya Levi, director of the speech and hearing center, is full of praise.
"It helps patients a great deal and they really like it. They get direct feedback from the computer so they can see by themselves whether what they are doing is right or wrong. Patients need to practice a great deal and this software helps them do just that," she says.
The hospital now uses the software as part of its therapy and Levi believes it's an ideal tool for other clinics involved in similar fields.
In October of last year, Robert Kroll and Tina Gasee from the University of Toronto's Speech Foundation of Ontario conducted a study on Friedman software. Eighty-six percent of subjects claimed their accuracy in achieving specific speech results was helped by using it.
"I view Dr. Fluency as an excellent supplement to fluency-shaping therapy and as an invaluable and practical tool for home practice and fluency maintenance," Kroll says.
As far as competition goes, there appears to be none. Both Friedman and Levi believe Dr. Fluency is unique.
At present STS markets its products through independent sales representatives around the world. Though Friedman is not a businessman by profession, he understands that the company needs to invest heavily in marketing. STS is now hunting for a large investor or marketing partner that can help the company reach its markets.
A recent breakthrough for STS is the decision by the Swedish health authorities to use the software as a recognized treatment for stutterers. Since health care in Sweden is fully state funded, Friedman believes it will become one of the company's best markets.
"There are 80,000 stutterers in Sweden so we expect several million dollars worth of sales from Sweden alone in the next few years," says Friedman.
The company, which is currently developing Danish, Latvian and Russian versions, also aims to develop a children's version.
STS also plans to use the technology to create a new Aphasia program for stroke victims and a multi-channel EMG device based on the breathing monitor.
Friedman says he feels optimistic about the future.
"We've started selling and there's a large potential market. Now we just have to find an investor to help us bring it to the market," he says.
For Friedman, however, STS is more than just a company.
"Dr. Fluency helps people. It offers people who can't speak properly the chance to be fluent. That's a wonderful thing."
The website is http://www.sts.co.il/fluency.htm
I really would be interested on what the experts think.
Gunars