Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: to compare the frequency of disfluencies and speech rate in spontaneous speech and reading in adults with and without stuttering in non-altered and delayed auditory feedback (NAF, DAF). Methods: participants were 30 adults: 15 with Stuttering (Research Group - RG), and 15 without stuttering (Control Group - CG). The procedures were: audiological assessment and speech fluency evaluation in two listening conditions, normal and delayed auditory feedback (100 milliseconds delayed by Fono Tools software). Results: the DAF caused a significant improvement in the fluency of spontaneous speech in RG when compared to speech under NAF. The effect of DAF was different in CG, because it increased the common disfluencies and the total of disfluencies in spontaneous speech and reading, besides showing an increase in the frequency of stuttering-like disfluencies in reading. The intergroup analysis showed significant differences in the two speech tasks for the two listening conditions in the frequency of stuttering-like disfluencies and in the total of disfluencies, and in the flows of syllable and word-per-minute in the NAF. Conclusion: the results demonstrated that delayed auditory feedback promoted fluency in spontaneous speech of adults who stutter, without interfering in the speech rate. In non-stuttering adults an increase occurred in the number of common disfluencies and total of disfluencies as well as reduction of speech rate in spontaneous speech and reading.
Highlights
IntroductionSpeech is a high complexity linguistic and motor act, taking into consideration that it requires the harmonic and temporal coordination of neural, muscular (respiratory, phonatory and articulatory) and auditory processes
Speech is a high complexity linguistic and motor act, taking into consideration that it requires the harmonic and temporal coordination of neural, muscular and auditory processes
There was an increase in the common disfluencies occurrence and speech discontinuity in spontaneous speech with delayed auditory feedback, and a decrease in the flow of syllables and words per minute (Table 2)
Summary
Speech is a high complexity linguistic and motor act, taking into consideration that it requires the harmonic and temporal coordination of neural, muscular (respiratory, phonatory and articulatory) and auditory processes. Stuttering has been described as a disorder in the temporal motor sequence of speech[6], and a fluency disorder that interrupts rhythm and time, producing frequent repetitions, prolongations and blocks of syllables and words[7]. Persistent Developmental Stuttering presents characteristics of chronicity and varying degrees of severity[8]. It is the main and most prevalent fluency disorder, and it is related to disfluencies, and to readiness in motor programming of slowed speech[9,10] and abnormal motor preparation[11]
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