Evaluation of central auditory processing skills in children with stuttering

Area of Science:

• Auditory Neuroscience
• Speech and Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Stuttering is a complex speech disorder affecting millions worldwide.
• Central Auditory Processing (CAP) skills are crucial for understanding speech in challenging listening environments.
• Previous research suggests potential links between auditory processing and stuttering, but specific deficits require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare central auditory processing skills between children who stutter (CWS) and typically developing (TD) children.
• To identify specific CAP tests that differentiate CWS from TD children.
• To explore the implications of auditory processing differences for stuttering theories.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 20 CWS and 20 TD children with normal hearing participated.
• Participants underwent a battery of CAP tests, including Frequency Pattern Test (FPT), Duration Pattern Test (DPT), Filter Words (FW), Auditory Figure-Ground (AFG), Competing Words (CW), and Competing Sentences (CS).
• SCAN-C subtest for Dichotic Words (DW) was used to assess interhemispheric transfer.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed in FW, AFG, and CS tests between the groups.
• Significant differences emerged in FPT, DPT, and CW tests, with CWS performing significantly lower (p < 0.001 for FPT/DPT).
• SCAN-C DW subtest revealed significant differences in right-left ear scores between CWS and TD groups (p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Children who stutter exhibit specific deficits in frequency and duration pattern recognition and competing word identification.
• These findings support theoretical models linking stuttering to interhemispheric transfer challenges.
• A hypothesis is proposed suggesting that prolonged processing loops between hemispheres, rather than simple right-to-left transfer, may underlie auditory timing delays in CWS, warranting interhemispheric training interventions.