Developmental stuttering, physical concomitants associated with stuttering, and Tourette syndrome: A scoping review

Developmental stuttering and Tourette syndrome (TS) are common neurodevelopmental disorders. Although disfluencies may co-occur in TS, their type and frequency do not always represent pure stuttering. Conversely, core symptoms of stuttering may be accompanied by physical concomitants (PCs) that can be confused for tics. This scoping review aimed to explore the similarities and differences between stuttering and tics in terms of epidemiology, comorbidities, phenomenology, evolution, physiopathology, and treatment. We also described the nature of PCs in stuttering and disfluencies in TS.

A literature search on Medline, Embase and PsycInfo was executed in March 2022. From 426 studies screened, 122 were included in the review (a majority being narrative reviews and case reports).

TS and stuttering have several epidemiological, phenomenological, comorbidity, and management similarities suggesting shared risk factors and physiopathology (involving the basal ganglia and their connections with speech and motor control cortical regions). PCs in stuttering commonly involve the face (eyelids, jaw/mouth/lip movements) and sometimes the head, trunk and limbs. PCs can be present from early stages of stuttering and vary over time and within individuals. The function of PCs is unknown. Some individuals with TS have a distinct disfluency pattern, composed of a majority of typical disfluencies (mostly between-word disfluencies), and a mix of cluttering-like behaviors, complex phonic tics (e.g. speech-blocking tics, echolalia, palilalia), and rarely, atypical disfluencies.

Future investigations are warranted to better understand the complex relationships between tics and stuttering and address the management of disfluencies in TS and PCs in stuttering.