Immediate Effect of Altered Auditory Feedback for Stuttering Treatment
A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-2724.2025v37i3e71028Keywords:
Stuttering, Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder, Speech Therapy, Feedback, Systematic Review, Meta-analysisAbstract
Introduction: Fluency disorders may be treated with Altered Auditory Feedback (AAF), although the short-term impact is still uncertain. Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically review and evaluate the short-term effect of AAF for the treatment of developmental stuttering in adults and children. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis involved searches in MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, LILACS, clinical trial registries, and gray literature, with a publication year filter starting from 2000. The risk of bias was evaluated using the ROBINS-I tool, and a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the immediate effect on disfluency frequency. Results: There was a reduction in the frequency of disfluencies after the use of AAF. The severity of the disorder and age influence the effect, being more effective in adults and in moderate cases. The combination of delayed auditory feedback + frequency altered feedback (DAF+FAF) seems to induce a greater effect. No evidence of publication bias was found. Conclusion: AAF demonstrated positive short-term effects. Furthermore, the use of AAF modification in young people (approximately between 9 and 13 years of age) should not be considered the first treatment option, since these individuals generally do not respond as effectively as adults.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Gabriela Buffon, Marcira Evangelho Trindade, Guilherme Briczinski de Souza, Bárbara Costa Beber
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