Kinaesthetic acuity of stutterers and non-stutterers for oral and non-oral movements

Abstract

Six adult stutterers and six normal speakers were instructed to make the smallest possible movements of the jaw, lower lip, tongue and right index finger, both with and without continuous visual feedback. In the non-visual (kinaesthetic) condition, the stutterers showed significantly larger minimal displacements (MDs) than did the non-stutterers for oral but not for finger movements. However, movements made in the presence of visual feedback were consistently smaller for all subjects than those made without, and no differences in MD were found between the stutterers and the non-stutterers when visual feedback was provided. The results suggested the presence of a sensorimotor deficit among at least some adult stutterers that is confined to oral movements. Given the importance of somatic sensory feedback during speech production, these observed orosensory deficiencies among stutterers may provide important insights into causal factors which contribute to the breakdowns in stutterers' speech.