CAFET

Computer Technology for the Treatment of Stuttering
(CAFET)

Recommended Reading - Books that parallel the SpeechCare philosophy

Visual biofeedback, with the aid of the computer, now makes it possible for youngsters, teens, and adults who stutter to receive a more fluent and natural sounding speech. CAFET (Computer-Aided Fluency Establishment Training) is a computer program that helps the stutterer gain control over his/her respiratory and voicing systems. It teaches the client to coordinate their breathing with the onset of speech, to breath without breath holding, and to maintain the speech flow throughout the phrase. These aspects of coordination are practiced so thoroughly that they are
maintained long after the computer program is over, and they are transferred to the client's everyday speech.

Effectiveness of the Program

A comparison of CAFET with other forms of stuttering therapy suggests that this computer-aided therapy efficiently produces fluent, natural sounding speech in a high percentage of clients. This translates into a more cost-effective therapy.

A follow-up study done at a clinic in Virginia on 300 adults and teens who had completed the program revealed the following results:

6 months post therapy, 82% met the criteria for fluent, natural sounding speech,
12 months post therapy, the figure rose to 89%,
2 years post therapy, 92% of the clients had retained their speech control.

Treatment Program

Two versions of the computer aided treatment are available at SpeechCare. Our regular CAFET program targets the teen to adult stutterer. For our younger clients (5-10 years) we offer CAFET for Kids. This program utilizes visual biofeedback as well as video games to help make training fun and meaningful.

The most successful therapy results are achieved through an intensive training program. Many adult clients complete the program in 40-50 hours of individual therapy.

a. The Establishment program consists of 2 hours per week during the first 20 weeks in 1 hour sessions.* The "targets" of monitored speech are practiced with the computer program and molded with the help of the clinician in a "normalization" procedure. Nearly all clients are able to establish normal-sounding fluent speech by the end of this establishment program.

b. Transfer therapy (moving the new speech skills to the real-life environment and desensitizing "difficult" speech
situations). This begins early in the Establishment program and is incorporated into weekly client practice.

*- Therapy is then reduced to 1 hour per week for 10 weeks.

Sample pictures for:

CAFET		CAFET for Kids