{"title":"The application of non-invasive neuromodulation in stuttering: Current status and future directions.","authors":"Mehdi Bakhtiar, Karim Johari","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Non-invasive neuromodulation methods such as transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), have been extensively utilized to enhance treatment efficacy for various neurogenic communicative disorders. Recently, these methods have gained attention for their potential to reveal more about the underlying nature of stuttering and serve as adjunct therapeutic approaches for stuttering intervention. In this review, we present existing research and discuss critical factors that might influence the efficacy of these interventions, such as location, polarity, intensity, and duration of stimulation, as well as the impact of combined behavioral training. Additionally, we explore implications for future studies, including the application of different neuromodulation methods to address various aspects of stuttering such as speech fluency and associated psychological and cognitive aspects in people who stutter.</p>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"83 ","pages":"106100"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143069136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Administering the Lidcombe Program to children who stutter with concomitant disorders: Insights from an exploratory retrospective chart review study.","authors":"Sébastien Finlay, Pascaline Kengne Talla, Maïlie Fortin, Julie Braën, Laurie Levesque, Ingrid Verduyckt","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106101","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Children who stutter (CWS) in clinical settings may present with concomitant disorders (CDs), which can complexify the delivery of the Lidcombe Program (LP). However, there is limited evidence on how CDs influence treatment outcomes in CWS, leaving clinicians with little guidance regarding best practices with these children. This exploratory study, conducted in partnership with a rehabilitation center's clinical team, aims to understand which CDs and suspected CDs speech-language pathologists document when treating CWS with the LP and their relationship to treatment characteristics and outcomes.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A retrospective chart review was conducted on 47 children diagnosed with developmental stuttering who received the LP between 2016 and 2018.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>38 CWS (80.9 %) had either at least one confirmed (59.6 %) or suspected (21.3 %) CD, of which 61.7 % were language-related and 27.6 % attention-related. CWS with diagnosed and suspected CDs had significantly higher stuttering severity rating (SR) scores post-treatment as compared to CWS without CDs (p =.001), although all groups significantly reduced their stuttering. There were high drop-out rates in all groups. CWS with diagnosed and suspected CDs who dropped out had significantly higher SR scores than CWS without CDs who progressed to Stage 2 (p =.011 and p =.014, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The LP is effective in improving fluency in both CWS with and without CDs. However, CWS with diagnosed or suspected CDs finished or dropped out of Stage 1 with significantly higher SR scores than CWS without CDs. Future research is needed to confirm these results and investigate the factors underlying the observed differences.</p>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"83 ","pages":"106101"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143069135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sima Farpour, Bijan Shafie, Ross Menzies, Hamid Karimi
{"title":"Reliability and validity of the unhelpful thoughts and beliefs scale for Persian-speaking adults who stutter (UTBAS-P): A cross-cultural examination of social anxiety in people who stutter.","authors":"Sima Farpour, Bijan Shafie, Ross Menzies, Hamid Karimi","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106099","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aim: </strong>An increasing body of research indicates that many adults who stutter (AWS) experience anxiety in social and verbal situations. The Unhelpful Thoughts and Beliefs about Stuttering (UTBAS) scales were developed to assess speech-related anxiety and negative cognitions associated with stuttering. This study aimed to translate the UTBAS into Persian, investigate its psychometric properties for Persian-speaking AWS, and compare the results with previously published UTBAS scores across various cultures.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The UTBAS scales were translated into Persian according to the protocols of the International Quality of Life Assessment Project and the World Health Organization. Sixty-two adults with developmental stuttering, aged between 18 and 51 years, participated in this study. The psychometric properties of UTBAS-P were investigated using similar measures to those used in previous studies where valid and reliable versions were available. Additionally, UTBAS-P scores were compared to UTBAS scores previously reported for Australian, Japanese, and Turkish participants.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results showed that UTBAS-P had an acceptable face, content, and construct validity. It was significantly correlated with other anxiety-related measures. Additionally, its low and negative correlations with unrelated constructs, such as the NEO-PI-R domains of openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, confirmed its divergent validity. Regarding reliability, the significant test-retest reliability score (Pearson r = 0.87, p < 0.001) confirmed the stability of UTBAS-P scores over time, and its internal consistency was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha of 0.99. Similarities and differences were found between participants' UTBAS scores across different cultures.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>All four currently translated versions of the UTBAS have demonstrated high levels of validity and reliability, showing strong correlations with well-known anxiety measures. These findings suggest that the UTBAS has potential for use both clinically and in cross-cultural studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"83 ","pages":"106099"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Time to talk about stuttering: A cross-sectional study about the beliefs and attitude of adolescents toward stuttering.","authors":"S Van Eerdenbrugh, M Aerts, R Sevenants","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106098","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>This study investigated the attitude of Belgian (Flemish) high school students of 15 years and older toward stuttering, compared them with international samples and evaluated the impact of an attitude program about stuttering.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Nine schools participated in this study. The students completed the POSHA-S before and after the program. The program consisted of a class discussion guided by a PowerPoint presentation about six stuttering-related topics and the song Time To Talk, written for this project by Portland. The first questionnaire was filled out by N = 582. For N = 229, answers from pre- and post-intervention could be matched.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In general, female adolescents had a more positive attitude toward people who stutter, as did students from the highest education level. Catholic and atheist adolescents differed from Islamic adolescents, as well as adolescents who were born in Belgium from those who were born in another country, for one construct (cause of stuttering). The scores of the Belgian sample showed a similar variability as those of the other European samples and the POSHA-S database. A statistically significant attitude change was observed after the attitude program for helping people who stutter (Pre M = 37.35 versus Post M = 47.59, p < .001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Mainly the variables sex and type of education explain observed attitude differences among the adolescents. Adding music to an attitude program about stuttering seems a viable way to increase better insight in how to help people who stutter in adolescents aged 15 and older.</p>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"83 ","pages":"106098"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142899625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A scoping review of speech-language pathologists' experiences, practices, attitudes and perspectives of working with people who stutter.","authors":"Kate Bridgman, Shane Erickson","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106097","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play an integral role working with people who stutter (PWS) across the lifespan. There is a rich, yet relatively recent, history of research capturing specific aspects of the role, yet no paper has sought to combine the published literature relating to it. This review is intended to: (1) establish key themes related to SLPs' experiences, practices and attitudes of working with PWS; (2) determine how these may have changed over time; and (3) identify what gaps in the knowledge about this topic still exist.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A scoping review was conducted to synthesise all relevant peer-reviewed literature. Studies were included if they met the following inclusion criteria: a) reported on primary research; b) published in a peer-reviewed journal; c) written in English, and, d) reported on SLPs working with people who stutter.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 897 articles were identified and reviewed, with 27 included in the final analysis. Content analysis of the study results revealed themes relating to SLP factors, SLP attitudes, clinical management and service delivery.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While much has been published on this topic, and considerable change has been observed over time, there is still much to learn. Future investigations may include more in-depth exploration of SLPs' lived experience working with PWS and a systematic approach to increase SLP competency and confidence in working with PWS.</p>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"83 ","pages":"106097"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142792544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaofan Lei , Viann N. Nguyen-Feng , Jayanthi Sasisekaran
{"title":"Stuttering severity and social anxiety among adults who stutter: A multilevel analysis","authors":"Xiaofan Lei , Viann N. Nguyen-Feng , Jayanthi Sasisekaran","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>The purpose of this study is to further investigate the association between social anxiety and stuttering severity among adults who stutter (AWS) at both the between- and within-person levels of analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Sixty-two AWS (women = 27, men = 35; M<sub>age</sub> = 39.5 years, SD<sub>age</sub> = 14.8) first completed a questionnaire (e.g., trait social anxiety and personality traits) and provided two speech samples (i.e., conversation, reading). Then, participants enrolled in up to 21 days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to self-report their momentary stuttering severity, social anxiety, and avoidance behaviors during social interactions. Correlational analyses and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted on between-person level measures. Multilevel mediation analysis was conducted on EMA data to disaggregate between- and within-person processes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>At the between-person level, percent syllables stuttered (%SS) and person mean Self-Reported Stuttering Severity (iSRSS) were both significantly correlated with trait social anxiety, but not above and beyond the effects of neuroticism, extraversion, the overall impact of stuttering, and avoidance behaviors. At the within-person level, when AWS self-reported to stutter more than they usually do on average, they also tended to exhibit higher levels of social anxiety than they usually did, regardless of the amount of avoidance behaviors exhibited at those moments. The within-person effect between stuttering severity and social anxiety was also significantly mediated by avoidance behaviors.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The associations between social anxiety and stuttering differed based on the analysis level (between vs within-person) and whether covariates are included.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"82 ","pages":"Article 106088"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142586528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adult stuttering prevalence I: Systematic review and identification of stuttering in large populations.","authors":"Max Gattie, Elena Lieven, Karolina Kluk","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106085","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Stuttering epidemiology is reviewed with a primary goal of appraising methods used to identify stuttering in large populations. Secondary goals were to establish a best estimate of adult stuttering prevalence; identify data that could subgroup stuttering based upon childhood versus adult onset and covert versus over behaviour; and conduct a preliminary assessment of the degree to which stuttering features as a co-occurring diagnosis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. Quality assessment was based on the Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool, with criteria adjusted for appraisal of stuttering.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>15 sets of data were assessed for quality, with three meeting criteria for inclusion. These estimated adult stuttering prevalence at 0.67% at age 14-17 years (Taghipour et al., 2013); 0.21% at age 16-20 years (Tsur et al., 2021); and 0.63% when aged over 21 years (Craig et al., 2002).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Systematic review indicates adult stuttering prevalence is between 0.6-0.7%. A false positive paradox follows from the low prevalence of stuttering in the general population, creating a need for very high specificity when measuring stuttering in the general population. Failure to achieve high specificity (99.9% is suggested) leads to loss of statistical power due to presence of false positives. A corollary of the false positive paradox is that sensitivity in measurement of stuttering can be relatively low (90% is suggested) before general population estimates of stuttering prevalence are appreciably affected. Despite this relaxation of measurement requirements regarding sensitivity, covert stuttering is likely to have been underestimated. Covert stuttering might be accounted for using data from prospective cohort studies, however such a revision seems unlikely to exceed the widely-accepted 1% adult stuttering prevalence estimate; see Gattie, Lieven & Kluk (2024 this issue) for an estimate at 0.96 %. When used to estimate stuttering prevalence, data reported by Tsur et al. (2021) are outlying, with the relatively low estimate possibly due to origin as military conscript data and/or generalised healthcare screening.</p>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"83 ","pages":"106085"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adult stuttering prevalence II: Recalculation, subgrouping and estimate of stuttering community engagement.","authors":"Max Gattie, Elena Lieven, Karolina Kluk","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Epidemiological research of stuttering has frequently focused on children, with a relative paucity of population level data specific to adults. Prevalence data for adults are reassessed here, including a breakdown of whether stuttering is overt or covert, and whether onset was in childhood or adulthood. The engagement of adults who stutter with stuttering communities is also estimated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Prevalence calculations were based on data from studies having the strongest designs, following the systematic review of Gattie, Lieven & Kluk (2024, this issue). Original data for engagement with stuttering communities were gathered from English language internet stuttering support groups, a national stuttering charity in the UK and a regional stuttering support group in Manchester, UK.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Adult stuttering prevalence was estimated at 0.96% (95% CI 0.65, 1.44). This can be broken down to 0.63% overt stuttering (95% CI 0.46, 0.79) comprising 0.53% childhood onset and 0.10% adult onset; and 0.33% covert stuttering (95% CI 0.19, 0.58) comprising 0.28% childhood onset and 0.05% adult onset. Covert stuttering will have been overestimated, and may often be very mild. Engagement with stuttering communities was estimated at 0.99% internationally, 0.63% nationally and 1.01% regionally. Actual engagement will have been lower due to attrition and overcounting.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The adult stuttering prevalence estimate of 0.96% is consistent with the widely-cited all ages stuttering prevalence estimate of 1%. Of adults who stutter, fewer than 1% engage with stuttering communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"83 ","pages":"106086"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mahmoud M. Elsherif , Linda R. Wheeldon , Steven Frisson
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Do dyslexia and stuttering share a processing eficit?\", [Journal of Fluency Disorders, 67 (2021) 105827]","authors":"Mahmoud M. Elsherif , Linda R. Wheeldon , Steven Frisson","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106087","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106087","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"82 ","pages":"Article 106087"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142330850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A theory building critical realist evaluation of an integrated cognitive-behavioural fluency enhancing stuttering treatment for school-age children. Part 1: Development of a preliminary program theory from expert speech-language pathologist data.","authors":"Michelle C. Swift , Marilyn Langevin","doi":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106076","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106076","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><p>This study initiated a program of research that aims to develop a program theory underlying integrated cognitive-behavioural fluency enhancing stuttering treatments for school-age children. This research asks, what in the treatment program works (or does not work), for whom, in what contexts, and why.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Using a critical realist evaluation approach, seven speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with extensive experience in treating children who stutter were asked about barriers and facilitators of optimal treatment outcomes within the context of the Comprehensive Stuttering Program - School-aged Children (CSP-SC). From these data discrete resource mechanisms, contexts, within child reasoning mechanisms, and outcomes were derived and a preliminary program theory was proposed.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Facilitating and impeding child physiology, treatment and SLP resource mechanisms, family and school contexts, and within-child mechanisms were identified. Facilitating mechanisms included motivation, personality/psychological characteristics, understanding and trust of the treatment process, experience of speaking with less effort, and self-efficacy. Impeding mechanisms included reduced motivation, impeding personality/psychological characteristics, lack of buy-in, and, for some children, a prohibitive cost of effort in using learned strategies.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>A preliminary program theory was hypothesized which will be further developed in future analysis of data obtained from children and parents who participated in the CSP-SC at the same centre from which the SLPs came. Subsequent research with new cohorts of SLPs, children, and parents from other treatment programs and centres will be needed to establish the generalizability of the program theory generated in this program of research</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49166,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fluency Disorders","volume":"82 ","pages":"Article 106076"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094730X24000408/pdfft?md5=31f0d80a3f068eb219915c8816e045c6&pid=1-s2.0-S0094730X24000408-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142113944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}