Evaluation of an Integrated Fluency and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Adolescents and Adults Who Stutter.

Purpose: Developmental stuttering is a complex and multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder that may cause pervasive negative consequences for adults who stutter (AWS). Historically, intervention for AWS has primarily addressed speech fluency, with less focus on the covert psychosocial aspects of the disorder. The purpose of this article is to report on a feasibility trial evaluating a novel integrated intervention that combines traditional stuttering management techniques with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for AWS.

Population-based genetic effects for developmental stuttering.

Despite a lifetime prevalence of at least 5%, developmental stuttering, characterized by prolongations, blocks, and repetitions of speech sounds, remains a largely idiopathic speech disorder. Family, twin, and segregation studies overwhelmingly support a strong genetic influence on stuttering risk; however, its complex mode of inheritance combined with thus-far underpowered genetic studies contribute to the challenge of identifying and reproducing genes implicated in developmental stuttering susceptibility. We conducted a trans-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) and meta-analysis of developmental stuttering in two primary datasets: The International Stuttering Project comprising 1,345 clinically ascertained cases from multiple global sites and 6,759 matched population controls from the biobank at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), and 785 self-reported stuttering cases and 7,572 controls ascertained from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health).

Comparing evaluations of social situations for adults who do and do not stutter.

Purpose: Numerous research studies indicate that stuttering is associated with increased risk for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Interpretation bias is one of four cognitive biases thought to maintain symptoms associated with SAD. Interpretation bias occurs when one evaluates social situations as more negative than they actually are.

Phenome risk classification enables phenotypic imputation and gene discovery in developmental stuttering.

Developmental stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by disruption in the forward movement of speech. This disruption includes part-word and single-syllable repetitions, prolongations, and involuntary tension that blocks syllables and words, and the disorder has a life-time prevalence of 6-12%. Within Vanderbilt's electronic health record (EHR)-linked biorepository (BioVU), only 142 individuals out of 92,762 participants (0.

Evaluation of an integrated fluency and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention for adolescents and adults who stutter: Participant perspectives.

Purpose: Childhood-onset stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder that may cause pervasive negative consequences for adults who stutter. In addition to significant challenges in personal, social, and emotional domains, stuttering has been shown to impose an economic burden on adults who stutter. Intervention for adults who stutter has historically addressed speech fluency more so than the covert psychosocial aspects of the disorder.

Self-efficacy beliefs: Experiences of adults who stutter.

Purpose: Childhood-onset stuttering is a complex and multifaceted disorder. Intervention for adults who stutter has historically addressed speech fluency more so than psychosocial aspects of the disorder, including the nature of the individual's self-efficacy beliefs concerning their confidence in their capacity to enact change. Self-efficacy is an important construct related to quality of life, resilience, and maintenance of treatment gains for adults who stutter.

An evaluation of an integrated fluency and resilience program for early developmental stuttering disorders.

Purpose: The temperament construct of effortful control, an index of self-regulation and resilience, has been found to be predictive of stuttering severity in children and is a potential indicator of clinical prognosis. Evidence supports early intervention for preschool stuttering, and the successful effect of parents as agents of change in their children's stuttering therapy. However, no previous studies have trained parents to improve self-regulation in their children as a component of stuttering therapy.

Fear of Negative Evaluation, Trait Anxiety, and Judgment Bias in Adults who Stutter.

Purpose: Persons who stutter (PWS) and those with social anxiety disorder may exhibit fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and anxiety in social situations. However, the information processing biases that perpetuate these characteristics have had limited investigation. This study investigated judgment bias in social situations.

The health professionals' perspectives of support needs of adult head and neck cancer survivors and their families: a Delphi study.

Purpose: The aim was to identify the views of Australian and New Zealand health professionals regarding the support needs of people with head and neck cancer (HNC) and their families and current gaps in service delivery.

Methods: A modified Delphi process assessed support needs of people with HNC following acute medical management. A systematic review of the literature was used to develop items relevant to seven key concepts underpinning the psychological experience of living with HNC.

Anxiety and speaking in people who stutter: an investigation using the emotional Stroop task.

Unlabelled: People with anxiety disorders show an attentional bias towards threat or negative emotion words. This exploratory study examined whether people who stutter (PWS), who can be anxious when speaking, show similar bias and whether reactions to threat words also influence speech motor planning and execution. Comparisons were made between 31 PWS and 31 fluent controls in a modified emotional Stroop task where, depending on a visual cue, participants named the colour of threat and neutral words at either a normal or fast articulation rate.

The impact of stuttering on adults who stutter and their partners.

Unlabelled: This study explored the impact of the stuttering disorder on perceived quality of life, with emphasis on the individual's relationship with their partner or spouse. Specifically, the purposes were: (a) to investigate what personal experiences and themes exist for both members of a couple dyad when one member of the couple stutters and (b) to examine whether the partners have different experiences with respect to the impact of stuttering on their lives. A mixed method research design was used.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for adults who stutter: psychosocial adjustment and speech fluency.

Unlabelled: The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy group intervention program for adults who stutter (N=20). The program consisted of 2-h therapeutic sessions conducted weekly for eight consecutive weeks. It was an integrated program designed to improve: (a) psychosocial functioning, (b) readiness for therapy and change, (c) utilisation of mindfulness skills and psychological flexibility, and (d) frequency of stuttering.

The experiences of living with a sibling who stutters: a preliminary study.

Unlabelled: Stuttering impacts on the child in a variety of ways, notably in terms of communicative impairment and psychosocial impact. In addition, the stuttering disorder has a holistic impact, affecting those with whom the child who stutters lives. Within the family constellation, the closest person to the individual who stutters is often their sibling.

Parenting styles and attachment in school-aged children who stutter.

Unlabelled: Parental input has been described as influential in early childhood stuttering yet the exact nature of this influence remains equivocal. The present study aimed to examine whether quantitative measures of parenting styles, parent and peer attachment patterns, and parent- and self-reported child behaviour could differentiate between school-aged children who stutter (CWS) (n=10) and their fluent peers (n=10). In addition, qualitative individual semi-structured interviews with all CWS were conducted to gain insight into their life experiences and reflections in relation to stuttering.

Speeded verbal responding in adults who stutter: are there deficits in linguistic encoding?

Unlabelled: Linguistic encoding deficits in people who stutter (PWS, n=18) were investigated using auditory priming during picture naming and word vs. non-word comparisons during choice and simple verbal reaction time (RT) tasks. During picture naming, PWS did not differ significantly from normally fluent speakers (n=18) in the magnitude of inhibition of RT from semantically related primes and the magnitude of facilitation from phonologically related primes.

Investigating factors related to the effects of time-out on stuttering in adults.

Background: Response-contingent time-out has been shown to be an effective technique for enhancing fluency in people who stutter. However, the factors that determine individual responsiveness to time-out are not well understood.

Aims: The study investigated the effectiveness of using response-contingent time-out to reduce stuttering frequency in adults who stutter.