Effects of Emotional Processes on Speech Motor Control in Early Childhood Stuttering.

NCT05003583 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: R21DC018103R21DC018103-01A1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 68
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will compare speech variability between preschool-age children who stutter and typically fluent, age-matched peers. Differences in emotional reactivity, regulation and speech motor control have been implicated in stuttering development in children. This study seeks to understand further how these processes interact. Children will repeat a simple phrase after viewing age-appropriate images of either negative or neutral valence to assess speech motor control.

Conditions

Stuttering, Childhood

Keywords

stuttering; preschool; motor control; motor learning; emotional processes; behavioral inhibition

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• The spatiotemporal index (STI) of lip aperture during a negative valence condition on Day 1 (pretest).

  The spatiotemporal index (STI), a measure of speech coordination developed by Smith and colleagues (e.g., Smith, Goffman, Zelaznik, Ying \& McGillem, 1995). It will be employed to quantify speech motor control ability and speech motor learning effects. The STI reflects the degree to which repeated performance of a task produces movement trajectories that converge on a single pattern. Children produce less stable movement trajectories, as reflected in higher values of the STI (e.g. Smith \& Goffman, 1998), while adults produce more stable movement trajectories as reflected in lower STI values. The STI of lip aperture (a relative distance between upper and lower lips) will be calculated.

  through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

• The spatiotemporal index (STI) of lip aperture during a neutral valence condition on Day 1 (pretest).

  The spatiotemporal index (STI), a measure of speech coordination developed by Smith and colleagues (e.g., Smith, Goffman, Zelaznik, Ying \& McGillem, 1995). It will be employed to quantify speech motor control ability and speech motor learning effects. The STI reflects the degree to which repeated performance of a task produces movement trajectories that converge on a single pattern. Children produce less stable movement trajectories, as reflected in higher values of the STI (e.g. Smith \& Goffman, 1998), while adults produce more stable movement trajectories as reflected in lower STI values. The STI of lip aperture (a relative distance between upper and lower lips) will be calculated.

  through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

• The spatiotemporal index (STI) of lip aperture during a negative valence condition on Day 2 (retention).

  The spatiotemporal index (STI), a measure of speech coordination developed by Smith and colleagues (e.g., Smith, Goffman, Zelaznik, Ying \& McGillem, 1995). It will be employed to quantify speech motor control ability and speech motor learning effects. The STI reflects the degree to which repeated performance of a task produces movement trajectories that converge on a single pattern. Children produce less stable movement trajectories, as reflected in higher values of the STI (e.g. Smith \& Goffman, 1998), while adults produce more stable movement trajectories as reflected in lower STI values. The STI of lip aperture (a relative distance between upper and lower lips) will be calculated.

  through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

• The spatiotemporal index (STI) of lip aperture during a neutral valence condition on Day 2 (retention).

  The spatiotemporal index (STI), a measure of speech coordination developed by Smith and colleagues (e.g., Smith, Goffman, Zelaznik, Ying \& McGillem, 1995). It will be employed to quantify speech motor control ability and speech motor learning effects. The STI reflects the degree to which repeated performance of a task produces movement trajectories that converge on a single pattern. Children produce less stable movement trajectories, as reflected in higher values of the STI (e.g. Smith \& Goffman, 1998), while adults produce more stable movement trajectories as reflected in lower STI values. The STI of lip aperture (a relative distance between upper and lower lips) will be calculated.

  through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Skin conductance level (SCL)

  through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

• Number of phasic skin conductance responses elicited by picture presentations

  through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

• Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)

  through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

• Executive function (EF) composite score

  through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Experimental Condition

EXPERIMENTAL

Speaking while viewing images with negative and neutral valence

Behavioral: Speaking after viewing pictures with negative and neutral valence

Interventions

Speaking after viewing pictures with negative and neutral valence BEHAVIORAL

Speaking Condition 1: 10 age-appropriate pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS; Lang, Bradley \& Cuthbert, 2005) will be shown to participants. These pictures are classified as high arousal, negative valence stimuli. Participants will be asked to repeat a simple phrase between picture presentations. Speaking Condition 2: A blank screen will be shown to participants in place of pictures. This condition is classified as low arousal, neutral valence. Participants will be asked to repeat a simple phrase between blank screen picture presentations.

Experimental Condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 10 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• English as the primary language of communication.
• No history of neurological diseases or diagnosed speech-language disorders apart from stuttering.
• Parent report or direct observation of oral-facial structural abnormalities (such as cleft lip and/or cleft palate).
• Free of any medications that may affect neural functions (e.g., medications of seizures).
• Normal hearing acuity (must pass a hearing screening).
• Normal vision per parent report.

You may not qualify if:

• Parental report of neurodevelopmental disorders (such as autism spectrum disorders)
• Parental report of vision problems that are not corrected or corrected with glasses.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Syracuse University: lead
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Syracuse University, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Syracuse, New York, 13244, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stuttering

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Victoria Tumanova, PhD

  Syracuse University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 22, 2021
• First Posted: August 12, 2021
• Study Start: May 21, 2021
• Primary Completion: September 30, 2025
• Study Completion: September 30, 2025
• Last Updated: January 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)