Between-session support
Structured talking activities can help communication work continue between SLT appointments, especially when they are prescribed, relevant, and easy to return to.
Evidence overview
What the evidence helps us think about
Clinician visibility
SLTs benefit from clearer context about engagement, confidence, and difficulty so in-person sessions can begin with better information.
Communication confidence
Real-world speaking situations can carry emotional pressure. EaseTalk is designed around repetition, reflection, pacing, and human oversight.
Expandable evidence library
Evidence, rationale, and evaluation status
Open the sections that matter to you. The page keeps the existing references and publication links while making the evidence easier to scan.
Published research
“EaseTalk: An LLM-Driven Speech Practice Tool for Real-Life Scenarios”
Our foundational research has been published through IEEE, establishing the technical and design framework for scenario-based speech practice.
View IEEE publicationProject foundation
EaseTalk began as a final-year Computer Science thesis tackling speaking anxiety in everyday life. It was co-designed with the Speech & Language Therapy Department at UCC and people with lived experience of speech difficulty.
Mission and values
- Support communication confidence and quality of life through accessible, evidence-informed practice between sessions.
- Authentic communication over perfect fluency.
- Connection, expression, self-advocacy, and empowerment first.
Research published through IEEE focuses on scenario-based speech practice. Founder Marco was awarded UCC Student Entrepreneur of the Year 2026, and the first real-world pilot activity brought EaseTalk to early clinical users at the South Infirmary.
Speech and language therapy does not only happen inside the therapy room. Clinical research highlights the importance of structured, functionally relevant activity between sessions, particularly when therapy is tailored to the person’s communication goals and supported by regular practice.
Key clinical evidence
Brady et al. / The RELEASE Collaborators (2022) examined speech and language therapy dosage, intensity, frequency, delivery, tailoring, computer support, home practice, and language outcomes for people with aphasia. The study found that the greatest language recovery was associated with frequent, functionally tailored speech and language therapy, supported by prescribed home practice, at greater intensity and duration than usual clinical services internationally.
The Aphasia Rehabilitation Best Practice Statements (2024) likewise recommend that functionally tailored and relevant home practice should be provided. This evidence informs EaseTalk’s focus on therapist-guided talking activities between sessions.
EaseTalk is designed to help make between-session work more structured, measurable, and easier for clinicians to review. This is a design rationale, not a claim that EaseTalk has completed clinical efficacy evidence.
For people with aphasia and acquired communication needs, between-session activities need to be meaningful, accessible, and connected to goals set with a Speech and Language Therapist.
The RELEASE Collaborators’ analysis and the Aphasia Rehabilitation Best Practice Statements support the importance of functionally tailored and relevant practice. For EaseTalk, this points toward therapist-assigned talking activities, clear pacing, repetition, and visibility for the clinician.
EaseTalk should not be read as having proven aphasia outcomes at this stage. The evidence here explains why the product is designed around structured support and clinical oversight.
Research on stuttering and fear structures highlights that fear responses, triggers, and therapeutic needs can differ significantly between people. Practice should therefore adapt to the individual rather than assume one universal speaking challenge.
EaseTalk’s scenario-based design is shaped by this idea: safe, judgement-free rehearsal of everyday situations such as phone calls, job interviews, and social interactions, with repetition and gradual exposure where clinically appropriate.
“The role-play felt authentic enough to rehearse a difficult phone call without the pressure of doing it live.”
— Early pilot participant
These references inform product design around confidence, pacing, and emotional safety. They should not be interpreted as evidence that EaseTalk has proven outcomes for stuttering.
Therapist-assigned activities
SLTs can assign structured talking activities aligned with the person’s goals.
Real-life talking scenarios
Scenario practice can reflect everyday communication contexts that matter to the client.
Reflection after activities
Clients can reflect on confidence, difficulty, and what felt important after a session.
Progress visibility
Completion, engagement, and confidence signals help SLTs prepare for future sessions.
Human oversight
EaseTalk supports the therapy process and does not replace clinical judgement.
Accessibility and pacing
Practice should be clear, paced, and adaptable to different communication needs.
Current focus: usability, acceptability, engagement, and workflow fit.
EaseTalk has been live-demoed and tested with early adopters at the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork. Feedback from clinicians and service-users informs product updates.
Development activities
- Literature review of stuttering, exposure therapy, and adaptive practice tools.
- Weekly collaboration with the SLT Department at UCC and practising therapists.
- Iterative prototype testing with student clinicians and people with lived experience of speech difficulty.
- Language-and-tone audits to support emotional safety and inclusivity.
Responsible evaluation
Current and planned work is focused on understanding usability, acceptability, engagement, clinician workflow fit, confidence reflection, and how supportive feedback may contribute to skill development and self-efficacy.
EaseTalk is not currently presented as a diagnostic tool or replacement for Speech and Language Therapy.
“I praise EaseTalk’s ability to promote personal agency and its elegant mood-tracking features.”
— Treacy Murphy, Senior Speech & Language Therapist
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1
Brady, M. C., et al. / The RELEASE Collaborators (2022). Dosage, intensity, and frequency of language therapy for aphasia: a systematic review–based, individual participant data network meta-analysis. Stroke, 53(3), 956–967. View record
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2
Aphasia Rehabilitation Best Practice Statements (2024). Recommendations on functionally tailored and relevant home practice, referencing the RELEASE Collaborators’ meta-analysis of 25 RCTs and 959 individual participant datasets.
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3
Individual variability in stuttering: fear responses, triggers, and therapeutic needs (PMC8740569). View article
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4
Exposure therapy and individual fear structures (PMC9947508). View article
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5
EaseTalk: An LLM-Driven Speech Practice Tool for Real-Life Scenarios. IEEE. View publication
Want to discuss clinical evaluation or pilot work?
We welcome conversations with SLTs, clinical teams, ethics committees, and pilot partners.