Effectiveness of Virtually Simulated Intervention for Patients Having Stuttering

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally appropriate virtual reality (VR)-based speech restructuring intervention for individuals with stuttering in Pakistan. The intervention consists of five VR scenarios representing common real-life communication situations, incorporating graded difficulty levels, speech restructuring techniques, relaxation exercises, interactive avatars, and realistic audiovisual elements. Eligible participants with stuttering will be randomly allocated to an experimental group receiving the VR-based speech restructuring intervention or a control group. Participants in the experimental group will receive 16 therapy sessions using the developed VR scenarios. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, during the intervention, and after completion of the intervention to evaluate changes in stuttering severity, speech fluency, communication attitudes, associated motor behaviors, physiological factors, and sense of presence within the virtual environment. The study will determine whether the VR-based intervention is effective in improving speech fluency and reducing the severity and associated features of stuttering compared with the control condition. The findings will provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of VR-based speech restructuring as a culturally appropriate intervention for individuals with stuttering.

Inclusion Criteria: * Participants having stuttering of any level will be included. * Participants having any primary behaviors like blocking, prolongations, Repetitions will be included. * Participants exhibiting any facial grimaces, body movements or muscular tensions will be included. * Age range 13-35 years (35) * Both Genders * Participants having stuttering severity from mild to severe * Bilingual population having at-least matriculation qualification Exclusion Criteria: * Participants who have other communication problems with stuttering * Participants who have any associated medical condition like stroke, head trauma, or any other brain injury will also be excluded * Participants who had psychological problems, like depression and anxiety will be excluded from study. * Participants who had any intellectual or cognitive disability will be excluded from study.