Classification of Types of Stuttering Symptoms Based on Brain Activity

Among the non-fluencies seen in speech, some are more typical (MT) of stuttering speakers, whereas others are less typical (LT) and are common to both stuttering and fluent speakers. No neuroimaging work has evaluated the neural basis for grouping these symptom types. Another long-debated issue is which type (LT, MT) whole-word repetitions (WWR) should be placed in. In this study, a sentence completion task was performed by twenty stuttering patients who were scanned using an event-related design. This task elicited stuttering in these patients. Each stuttered trial from each patient was sorted into the MT or LT types with WWR put aside. Pattern classification was employed to train a patient-specific single trial model to automatically classify each trial as MT or LT using the corresponding fMRI data. This model was then validated by using test data that were independent of the training data. In a subsequent analysis, the classification model, just established, was used to determine which type the WWR should be placed in. The results showed that the LT and the MT could be separated with high accuracy based on their brain activity. The brain regions that made most contribution to the separation of the types were: the left inferior frontal cortex and bilateral precuneus, both of which showed higher activity in the MT than in the LT; and the left putamen and right cerebellum which showed the opposite activity pattern. The results also showed that the brain activity for WWR was more similar to that of the LT and fluent speech than to that of the MT. These findings provide a neurological basis for separating the MT and the LT types, and support the widely-used MT/LT symptom grouping scheme. In addition, WWR play a similar role as the LT, and thus should be placed in the LT type

Brazilian version of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering - Adults protocol (OASES-A)

PURPOSE: To verify the applicability of the protocol Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering - Adults (OASES-A), translated into Brazilian Portuguese, in a sample of adults who stutter. METHODS: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the OASES-A protocol was individually applied to 18 people who stutter. The classification of stuttering severity was based on the Stuttering Severity Instrument for Children and Adults (SSI-3) protocol. Translation and back-translation processes were carried out by specialists, considering semantic, conceptual, cultural, and idiomatic equivalences. RESULTS: There was no correlation between the severity degrees of stuttering assessed by the SSI-3 protocol and the self-assessment performed using the OASES-A. Subjects reported impairments in perceived fluency; speech ability; level of knowledge about stuttering and treatment options; use of confrontational techniques; quality of life. They also mentioned having difficulty coping with emotional states such as anxiety and embarrassment, and with communication in daily situations. CONCLUSION: The OASES-A protocol is useful in the assessment and treatment of stutterers, as it provides specialized speech-language pathologists with sutterers' self-perception regarding their communication difficulties and the impact of stuttering on their quality of life.OBJETIVO: Verificar a aplicabilidade do instrumento Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering - Adults (OASES-A), traduzido para o Português Brasileiro, em uma amostra de pessoas que gaguejam. MÉTODOS: Foi realizada a aplicação individual do instrumento OASES-A, traduzido para o Português Brasileiro, a 18 pessoas que gaguejam. A classificação da severidade da gagueira foi feita baseada no protocolo Stuttering Severity Instrument for Children and Adults (SSI-3). Os processos de tradução e tradução reversa foram realizados por especialistas, considerando-se as equivalências semântica, conceitual, cultural e idiomática. RESULTADOS: Não houve correlação entre os níveis de severidade da gagueira avaliados por meio do protocolo SSI-3 e os da auto-avaliação mensurados pelo OASES-A. Houve prejuízo relatado quanto à autopercepção da fluência; à habilidade de fala; ao nível de conhecimento da gagueira e opções de tratamento; ao uso de técnicas de enfrentamento; à qualidade de vida. Também foi referida dificuldade em relação aos estados emocionais, como ansiedade e constrangimento, e na comunicação em situações da vida diária. CONCLUSÃO: A aplicação do OASES-A mostrou-se útil para avaliar e tratar pessoas que gaguejam, pois fornece subsídios ao profissional fonoaudiólogo especializado no que se refere à autopercepção destas pessoas sobre as dificuldades na comunicação e o impacto da gagueira sobre a qualidade de vida.University of PittsburghWestern Illinois UniversityUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of Speech-Language Pathology and AudiologyUNIFESP, Department of Speech-Language Pathology and AudiologySciEL

Validation and evaluation of the Dutch translation of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for School-age children (OASES-S-D)

Background: Stuttering can have a negative impact on many aspects of a speaker's life. Comprehensive assessment must therefore examine a range of experiences in order to reflect the overall impact of the disorder. Purpose: This study evaluated the Dutch translation of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering - School-age (OASES-S; Yaruss 8.2 Quesal, 2010), which examines the impact of stuttering on the lives of children ages 7-12. Method: The OASES-S was translated to Dutch (OASES-S-D) using a forward/backward translation process. Participants were 101 Dutch-speaking children who stutter (ages 7-12) who were recruited by speech-language therapists throughout the Netherlands. All participants completed the OASES-S-D, the Children's Attitudes about Talking-Dutch, a self-assessment of severity, a clinical assessment of severity, and a speech satisfaction rating. A control group of 51 children who do not stutter also completed the OASES-S-D to determine whether the tool could differentiate between children who stutter and children who do not stutter. Results: All sections of the OASES-S-D except section I surpassed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.70, indicating good internal consistency and reliability. Comparisons between the OASES-S-D and other tools revealed moderate to high associations. The OASES-S-D was able to discriminate between children who stutter and children who do not stutter and between participants with different levels of stuttering severity. Discussion: The OASES-S-D appears to be a reliable and valid measure that can be used to assess the impact of stuttering on 7- to 12-year old Dutch-speaking children who stutter. Educational Objectives: The reader will be able to: (a) describe the purpose of the OASES-S-D measurement tool; (b) summarize the translation process used in creating the OASES-S-D; (c) summarize the aspects of stuttering measured in the different sections of the OASES-S-D; (d) describe with what measurement tools the validity of the OASES-S-D was investigated; and (e) describe the differences between the American-English version and Dutch translation of the OASES-S. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved