What is stuttering?

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Auditory perception
• Stuttering research

Background:

• Listener judgments of stuttering are unreliable, despite consistent research findings over 50 years.
• Current clinical practice and research predominantly define stuttering based on listener perception.
• This perceptual definition is incongruent with the established unreliability of listener judgments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the reasons behind the continued reliance on perceptual definitions of stuttering.
• To propose an alternative definition of stuttering based on speech production.
• To introduce a diagnostic method for validating stuttering and a therapy objective that minimizes avoidance.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of existing research on listener judgments of stuttering.
• Conceptual development of an alternative speech production definition.
• Description of a diagnostic validation method.
• Formulation of a fluency-skill therapy objective.

Main Results:

• Listener judgments of stuttering are consistently inaccurate at a unit-by-unit level.
• The reliance on perceptual definitions persists despite evidence of unreliability.
• An alternative speech production definition and a new therapy approach are proposed.

Conclusions:

• The established unreliability of listener judgments necessitates a shift from perceptual to speech production-based definitions of stuttering.
• A validated diagnostic method and a therapy objective focused on reducing avoidance behavior are crucial for effective stuttering management.
• Rethinking stuttering definitions and therapeutic goals is essential for advancing research and clinical practice.