Documenting day-to-day variability in stuttering

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess whether a 350-syllable speech sample recorded once per day can document the day-to-day variability of stuttering. Method: Ten children and ten adults who stutter were recruited. Speech samples were recorded at their respective homes for five consecutive days. From the recorded speech samples, the middle 350 syllables were orthographically transcribed and two dependent measures (percentage of syllables stuttered & duration of stuttering moments) were calculated. Group comparisons between children and adults who stutter and within-subject variability in individual participant data across five days were carried out. Results: Results of the group analysis suggested there was no significant difference in the mean percentage of syllables stuttered across five days in both children and adults. There was no significant difference in the percentage of syllables stuttered between children and adults. A significant difference in the duration of stuttering moments across five days was noted between two groups. Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest that a 350-syllable speech sample obtained at the single point of time is not sufficient to document day-to-day variability in various aspects of stuttering.