DAF Pro Panel Review

Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) is a popular speech therapy technique used to support people who stammer, making it incredibly useful when treating people with Parkinson’s.

The method involves playing the person’s own voice back to them with just a fraction of a second delay. Doing this tricks the brain into slowing down, offering greater control over speech and allowing it to be understood more clearly. This can be especially useful in situations such as meetings and presentations where speaking clearly is key. 

Speech and Language Therapist Sam Brady realised how expensive, cumbersome and difficult to operate DAF equipment can be while working with a person with Parkinson’s in 2011. Sam shared her frustrations with her husband Gary Brady who used his skills as a software engineer to create a simpler, more affordable and more portable solution: DAF Pro. 

DAF Pro is a smartphone app designed to make DAF treatment cheaper and more accessible as all you need to get started is a smartphone and a pair of headphones or earbuds. Like traditional DAF equipment, DAF Pro invites users to hear their own voice played back with a small delay, helping them to slow down and speak more clearly during meetings, presentations and everyday conversations. The app also allows users to adjust the amount of delay and the pitch of the feedback to find what works best for them. 

“My goal was to make delayed auditory feedback simple and accessible – so that every person with Parkinson’s and every speech and language therapist can try it easily, in the clinic or at home”, Sam told the Tech Guide. 

As far as new features and updates go, Sam says that DAF Pro is continuously developed to address the needs of people with Parkinson’s and speech and language therapists and is always open to feedback and ideas from its users.

Our review panel generally found DAF Pro an easy app to set up with instructions that are clear and straightforward to follow. In fact, 4 of our 5 reviewers labelled the set-up process – which included connecting headphones to their mobile device – as “very easy”. They stated that the app took just a few minutes to get started with no difficult parts to the process and no outside help necessary.

1 tester shared that they “got through the installation easily” with their wife sitting next to them, while another person noted the “simple and clearly labelled controls”, calling the app “very intuitive to use”. Likewise, a third user said that the app’s “minimalist design made it simple to use without any confusion”.

Most of our reviewers found the instructions provided in the app to be similarly clear and easy to read, with one user calling them “simple, basic instructions”, while another stated that the instructions were “clearly written”. Another called the instructions ”basic and possibly enough given how relatively simple the app appears to be”, adding that “some screenshots showing what buttons to use and when, and possibly a video or two showing it being used” could be included to improve upon them. 

The readability is great too, with all testers calling the instructions “easy to read”, highlighting positive qualities like the size and dark grey colour of the font. 

However, 1 user did encounter initial problems getting their wireless earbuds to work alongside the app, writing that they wished Speechtools would include “more info when using AirPods”. 

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Another found the instructions in the app to be a bit too brief. “The instructions on the app need a revision to be more helpful [to those] using it – or just direct everyone to Youtube and put your own instructions on there”, they said. Thankfully, they were able to resolve this issue by going to YouTube and finding “a couple of short videos which made it all straightforward”. Doing so also allowed them to pick up some additional hints and tips for using the app. 

This reviewer also mentioned that the app takes a few minutes to get used to. They explained: “Once I got used to listening to my own voice in my headphones whilst trying to hold a conversation it got a lot easier”.

“Plus, sitting by myself talking from a book to help adjust the settings. Once I had the delay time and pitch close to my own voice, I was good to go”.

Other testers found using the app to be “straightforward and accessible”. There are “not many options so [it is] easy to navigate”, said one. Another user praised the minimalist design made up of a “single screen with simple controls”, stating that the 4 sliders, 2 buttons and start option kept the app “very clear”. 

“The app has only one main screen and that screen only has a handful of controls which means that it’s not really possible to ‘get lost’ when using it”, said one reviewer. 

All of our reviewers rated DAF Pro either 4/5 or 5/5 for ease of use, reporting no accessibility problems within the app. 

Speechtools also includes a link to its contact form in the upper right hand corner of the instruction manual. This means you can reach out to customer support from the app if you do encounter any issues. 1 tester emailed this support line a few times during the review period after noting that their phone’s system update affected the sound in the app. They told us they always received a response within 2 working days.

Delayed Auditory Feedback works by playing your voice back to you with a fraction of a second delay. This allows you to correct yourself and slow down as you speak, giving you more control over your voice. One tester commented that it “takes a little getting used to your voice in your ear”. 

3 of our 5 reviewers found integrating DAF Pro into their daily lives to be either very or fairly easy. “It’s an app on your phone – providing you have your headphones with you and Wi-Fi connectivity – you can use it anywhere”, said 1 tester.

“Being a simple app on my phone I could easily use it whenever I wanted when I had my phone with me,” agreed another.

As previously mentioned, you do need a pair of headphones or earbuds to use the app. This experience garnered mixed reviews from our panel, with some finding it fine, while others encountered issues connecting their earbuds to the app and with the sound clarity. “I used three different headphones with the app and there was no difference between them”, said one user who noted that “the sound quality was very poor with the replayed speech being distorted” across all three pairs. Thankfully, none of the other reviewers reported any issues with the audio quality.

Unfortunately, only 1 of our 5 reviewers found that the app had a positive effect on their day-to-day life. “I would not need to use this product everyday – my speech is pretty good – but I will ‘check in’ with it 1-2 [times] a month just to ensure I am not developing any issues”, they said. This user had previously highlighted concerns about the volume of their voice when they are tired or their medication is wearing off, as well as a tendency to get stuck on words when speaking in groups.

“I hold conversations with my wife usually for 10 minutes about football - which we both find easy to do and this is important to try and have a completely natural chat - and I find, that with the delay set around 300 ms (normal) and Pitch around 0 (normal), that my speech slowed down slightly and I could hear myself be a little more deliberate with my pace and pronunciation”.

1 reviewer saw no improvement in their stammer during the testing period, noting that “it’s possible that the delayed auditory feedback technique just isn’t effective for me personally”, while another simply responded “zero” when asked what difference the app has made to their life.

Meanwhile, 1 tester, who noted difficulties getting words out as well as with the articulation and volume of their speech, actually found that the DAF method negatively affected their speech.

“I found that the delayed audio feedback actually made my speech worse regardless of the app settings”, they said. “I found that hearing my own voice (delayed) caused my speech to hesitate and I quickly couldn’t continue to speak, repeating the last word several times”.

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All 5 reviewers agreed the app is worth its £2.99 price. 1 commented, “If it doesn’t improve the person’s speech then losing £2.99 isn’t much to pay”, while another summed up the product value with three phrases: “Less than a coffee, longer lasting, interesting experience”. 

“I thought the app was straight forward in setting up and using, it did not help me but that’s not to say it may not help others, the price is set correctly so it’s worth giving it ago”, said another reviewer. 

When it comes to product value, our reviewers were left evenly divided between feeling fairly satisfied and fairly unsatisfied with DAF Pro. 

“At this stage it‘s a nice to have – rather than a ’need to’ have product”, said 1 reviewer. “However, for people with confidence or anxiety issues with their speech this could potentially be a good product – especially if it can help their speech slow down, improve their resonance and power and, finally, help with pronunciation – all aspects I feel this product has the potential to help with”.

A different reviewer commented “The app doesn’t help me with my speech. I think it probably works for some people but unfortunately for me I’m not one of these people”. 

Another user said: “I think if you have severe issues then this app will be good product value”.

When asked if the app had made their lives better in any way, 1 person found the app helped them to retain the skills they’d practiced during therapy. “I recently went through speech therapy which noted I was good at holding good pace, strength of voice and pronouncing my words – this app is a useful check point for me to use to make sure when I hear my feedback that nothing is changing”.

This user also noted that they’d already recommended the app to a friend with Parkinson’s. 

The same benefits were not felt by the rest of the review panel, but that didn’t stop half of the group from agreeing that they would recommend DAF Pro to a friend. “It’s worthwhile giving the app a go as it is cheap. For some people it might make a big impact”, said 1 reviewer.