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.

Determinants of assessing efficiency within auditory attention networks.

The attention network test (ANT) assesses efficiency across alerting, orienting, and executive components of visual attention. This study examined approaches to assessing auditory attention networks, and performance was compared to the visual ANT. Results showed (1) alerting was sufficiently elicited in a pitch discrimination and sound localization task, although these effects were unrelated, (2) weak orienting of attention was elicited through pitch discrimination, which varied based on ISI and conflict level, but robust orienting of attention was found through sound localization, and (3) executive control was sufficiently assessed in both pitch discrimination and sound localization tasks, but these effects were unrelated.

Developmental changes in pharyngeal swallowing acoustics: a comparison of adults and children.

This study examined developmental differences in the acoustics of pharyngeal swallowing. Thirty-one young children (M = 4.5 years) and 29 adults (M = 22.

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.

Early development in infants at risk of childhood apraxia of speech: a longitudinal investigation.

This study examined early features of the heritable phenotype associated with childhood apraxia-of-speech (CAS). We compared speech and language development from 9 to 24 months of age in eight children at familial risk of CAS to that of eight infants with no such family history. At-risk infants scored lower on expressive language, speech development, and fine motor skills.

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.

Verbal repetition skill in language impaired children: evidence of inefficient lexical processing?

Speeded verbal repetition of spoken words in simple and primed conditions was used to examine lexical processing deficits in children with specific language impairment (SLI). During simple verbal repetition, children with SLI (n = 18) were slower at repeating abstract verbs compared to concrete verbs. This same effect was not observed for nouns.

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.

Facilitating use of speech recognition software for people with disabilities: a comparison of three treatments.

This study examined the relative benefit of three interventions (i.e. physiological, behavioural, and pragmatic) designed to facilitate speech recognition software use.