Comparison of speech motor development in stutterers and fluent speakers between 7 and 12 years old

Motor practice effects and sensorimotor integration in adults who stutter: Evidence from visuomotor tracking performance

“…In the present study visual feedback was always available to participants during both jaw and hand tracking tasks, which may have influenced performance of PWS and PWNS to a different degree. Prior work has shown that children (Howell et al, 1995) and adults who stutter (Archibald & De Nil, 1999; Loucks & De Nil, 2006) performed as well as people who do not stutter in non-speech jaw movement task when visual feedback was available, and significantly less accurate in the absence of visual feedback. Researchers have theorized that the relative inaccuracy of jaw movements shown by children who stutter and adults who stutter in the absence of visual feedback may be explained by aberrant proprioceptive integration, suggesting an oral kinesthetic deficit (Archibald & De Nil, 1999; Loucks & De Nil, 2006; Loucks, De Nil, & Sasisekaran, 2007; cf.…”

Sequence skill learning in persons who stutter: Implications for cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical dysfunction

“…The incomplete automatization of sensorimotor integration skills has been associated with impaired use of kinesthetic feedback and/or an over-reliance on visual feedback, such as is seen in the performance of novices (Smiley-Oyen et al, 2003). Both PPD (Smiley-Oyen et al, 2003) and PWS perform poorly relative to PNS on tasks requiring sensorimotor integration without visual feedback (Archibald & De Nil, 1999;De Nil & Abbs, 1991;Forster & Webster, 2001;Howell, Sackin, & Rustin, 1995;Loucks & De Nil, 2001).…”

Control and Prediction Components of Movement Planning in Stuttering Versus Nonstuttering Adults

“…Based on kinematic studies of speech production in stuttering and nonstuttering individuals, researchers have reported between-group differences in the variability, speed, duration, and coordination of articulatory movements (Caruso, Abbs, & Gracco, 1988; Kleinow & Smith, 2000; Max, Caruso, & Gracco, 2003; Max & Gracco, 2005; McClean & Runyan, 2000; McClean, Tasko, & Runyan, 2004; Smith, Sadagopan, Walsh, & Weber-Fox, 2010; Zimmermann, 1980). Such differences are not limited to speech production, however, as stuttering individuals have also been shown to move with greater variability, lower speed, and longer movement durations when the same orofacial effectors are used for nonspeech tasks (Archibald & De Nil, 1999; De Nil & Abbs, 1991; Hand & Haynes, 1983; Howell, Sackin, & Rustin, 1995; Loucks & De Nil, 2006; Max et al, 2003; Reich, Till, & Goldsmith, 1981; Riley & Riley, 1986; Starkweather, Franklin, & Smigo, 1984). It should be noted that some studies have failed to find such between-group differences or have found differences that were restricted to certain experimental conditions (Cooper & Allen, 1977; De Nil, 1995; Jancke, 1994; Janssen, Wieneke, Vanne, 1983; Jancke, Kaiser, Bauer, & Kalveram, 1995;Wieneke, Eijken, Janssen, & Brutten, 2001); however, the preponderance of evidence suggests that stuttering and nonstuttering speakers differ in various measures of both speech and nonspeech motor control.…”

“…First, although there are again some exceptions (e.g., Venkatagiri, 1981; Watson & Alfonso, 1982), longer movement initiation and execution durations for stuttering vs. nonstuttering individuals have been found in a large variety of finger movement tasks (Borden, 1983; Howell et al, 1995; Max et al, 2003; Prosek, Montgomery, Walden, & Schwartz, 1979; Reich et al, 1981; Starkweather et al 1984; Webster & Ryan, 1991). Second, stuttering participants perform less accurately than nonstuttering participants when reproducing sequences of finger movements (Webster, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1997), and their performance is more susceptible to interference by a secondary task (Forster & Webster, 2001; Smits-Bandstra, De Nil, & Rochon, 2006; Webster & Ryan, 1991; Webster, 1990, 1997).…”