Performance of Bimanual Finger Coordination Tasks in Speakers Who Stutter

Akira Toyomura,Tetsunoshin Fujii,Paul F Sowman

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.679607

Akira Toyomura, Tetsunoshin Fujii + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.679607

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Abstract

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental speech disorder characterized by the symptoms of speech repetition, prolongation, and blocking. Stuttering-related dysfluency can be transiently alleviated by providing an external timing signal such as a metronome or the voice of another person. Therefore, the existence of a core motor timing deficit in stuttering has been speculated. If this is the case, then motoric behaviors other than speech should be disrupted in stuttering. This study examined motoric performance on four complex bimanual tasks in 37 adults who stutter and 31 fluent controls. Two tasks utilized bimanual rotation to examine motor dexterity, and two tasks used the bimanual mirror and parallel tapping movements to examine timing control ability. Video-based analyses were conducted to determine performance accuracy and speed. The results showed that individuals who stutter performed worse than fluent speakers on tapping tasks but not on bimanual rotation tasks. These results suggest stuttering is associated with timing control for general motor behavior.

Highlights

IntroductionOne promising theory posits that stuttering results from a deficit in speech timing control (Van Riper, 1982; Etchell et al, 2014a)
Sixty to eighty percent of developmental stuttering cases recover without intervention (Kefalianos et al, 2017; Shimada et al, 2018); the remainder will often continue to experience lifelong speech disfluency
Recent biological studies on stuttering postulate a complex neurodevelopmental disorder resulting from interactions between the genes and the environment (Ooki, 2005; Rautakoski et al, 2012; Frigerio-Domingues and Drayna, 2017), which neurological studies suggest manifest as altered function and structure of the brain

Summary

Introduction

One promising theory posits that stuttering results from a deficit in speech timing control (Van Riper, 1982; Etchell et al, 2014a). This notion accounts for the well-known phenomenon that, in stuttering, dysfluency can be temporarily suppressed by providing external timing cues; for example, speech synchronized to the beat of a metronome is generally devoid of dysfluencies. Choral reading, where other cooperating speakers in the chorus provide timing cues for speech rhythm, enhances fluency in people who stutter

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