Evidence for a Rhythm Perception Deficit in Children Who Stutter

Overview

Journal Brain Lang

Publisher Elsevier

Specialties Neurology
Otorhinolaryngology
Psychiatry

Date 2015 Apr 17

PMID 25880903

Citations 34

Authors

Elizabeth A Wieland

J Devin McAuley

Laura C Dilley

Soo-Eun Chang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the timing and rhythmic flow of speech production. When speech is synchronized with an external rhythmic pacing signal (e.g., a metronome), even severe stuttering can be markedly alleviated, suggesting that people who stutter may have difficulty generating an internal rhythm to pace their speech. To investigate this possibility, children who stutter and typically-developing children (n=17 per group, aged 6-11 years) were compared in terms of their auditory rhythm discrimination abilities of simple and complex rhythms. Children who stutter showed worse rhythm discrimination than typically-developing children. These findings provide the first evidence of impaired rhythm perception in children who stutter, supporting the conclusion that developmental stuttering may be associated with a deficit in rhythm processing.

Citing Articles

Subtle Patterns of Altered Responsiveness to Delayed Auditory Feedback during Finger Tapping in People Who Stutter.

Lazzari G, van de Vorst R, van Vugt F, Lega C Brain Sci. 2024; 14(5).

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Hand Preference in Stuttering: Meta-Analyses.

Papadatou-Pastou M, Papadopoulou A, Samsouris C, Mundorf A, Valtou M, Ocklenburg S Neuropsychol Rev. 2023; 34(3):924-951.

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A Preliminary Study of Speech Rhythm Differences as Markers of Stuttering Persistence in Preschool-Age Children.

Erdemir A, Walden T, Tilsen S, Mefferd A, Jones R J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2023; 66(3):931-950.

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Exploring individual differences in musical rhythm and grammar skills in school-aged children with typically developing language.

Nitin R, Gustavson D, Aaron A, Boorom O, Bush C, Wiens N Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):2201.

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Rhythmic tapping difficulties in adults who stutter: A deficit in beat perception, motor execution, or sensorimotor integration?.

Slis A, Savariaux C, Perrier P, Garnier M PLoS One. 2023; 18(2):e0276691.

PMID: 36735662 PMC: 9897587. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276691.

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