Stuttering as Defined by Adults Who Stutter.

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Psychology
• Sociolinguistics

Background:

• Existing definitions of stuttering primarily rely on listener perceptions.
• This 'outside-in' approach overlooks the lived experiences of individuals who stutter.
• A validated, speaker-centric definition is needed to fully understand stuttering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and define the experience of stuttering from the perspective of adults who stutter.
• To move beyond observable disfluencies and incorporate internal sensations and reactions.
• To inform updated frameworks for understanding stuttering's impact.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative exploration involving 430 adults who stutter.
• Thematic analysis of participant data.
• Focus on the 'moment of stuttering' and the overall life experience.

Main Results:

• Stuttering encompasses a broader range of experiences than listener-defined disfluencies.
• Participants described internal sensations like anticipation and loss of control.
• Affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions, along with environmental factors, contribute to the stuttering experience.

Conclusions:

• Stuttering is a complex, individualized experience shaped by internal and external factors.
• The findings support an updated model of stuttering, such as the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).
• A speaker-centric definition is crucial for accurately representing the impact of stuttering.