The Development of Stuttering in Young Children

NCT06578416 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 00001704R01DC018000
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this longitudinal research is to learn why some children "grow out" of stuttering, while others persist. Children who do and do not stutter aged 3-6 years are eligible to participate in our study. During the study, children's speech and language abilities will be assessed with standardized assessments, and they complete several child-friendly experiments. During these experiments, brain activity will be recorded using specialized caps while children describe pictures, children will speak in two virtual-reality scenarios, and produce speech while keeping to a beat.

Conditions

Stuttering; Stuttering, Childhood; Stuttering, Developmental

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• Stuttering Severity

  Assess speech for the presence of stuttering disfluencies and calculate the severity of stuttering based on parent ratings and calculated as the percentage of disfluent syllables out of the total syllables of speech produced.

  1 x each year for up to 5 years

• Virtual reality speaking scenarios

  Record looking events in msec during virtual reality scenarios (classroom of children and kitten)

  1 x each year for up to 5 years

• Virtual reality speaking scenarios

  Pulse oximetry measures will be taken with a photoplethysmograph transducer (Biopac TSD200) secured around the distal phalanx of the fourth finger of the child's non-dominant hand with a Velcro strap. Two measures will be analyzed. (1) Blood pulse volume (BPV) amplitude, the average trough-to-peak amplitude (in volts) of pulse cycles across segments where the child is producing speech and (2) Pulse rate (PR in pulses per minute ppm), will be recorded for each speech segment then averaged. These pulse oximetry measures will be taken during the viewing of virtual reality scenarios (classroom of children and kitten)

  1 x each year for up to 5 years

• Virtual reality speaking scenarios

  Electrodermal (skin conductance) recordings will be collected from the hands while children are immersed in virtual reality speaking scenarios (classroom of children and kitten). We report skin conductance levels and skin conductance response frequency and amplitude in microSiemens (mS).

  1 x each year for up to 5 years

• EEG recording of event-related brain potentials

  Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings of event-related brain potentials will be conducted during a picture identification task. ERPs will be averaged across conditions and reported in microvolts.

  1 x each year for up to 5 years

• Speech production synchronization

  We record productions of a word spoken to the beat under different feedback conditions. We will assess timing measures reflecting the accuracy with which children synchronize their speech to the beat and retain the rhythm.

  1 x each year for up to 5 years

• fNIRS recording of cortical hemodynamic responses

  Cerebral hemodynamic responses are recorded during the experiment with a continuous-wave fNIRS system (NIRx, Inc). The system uses LED light source optodes, and avalanche photodiode optode detectors for measuring intensity changes in the diffused light at a 10-Hz sampling rate. The optodes are embedded in a standard EEG cap. The concentrations of oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin in micromols will be calculated across trial intervals as participants describe child-friendly picture scenes. These responses will then be averaged across trials for each child.

  1 x each year for up to 5 years

Study Arms (2)

Children who stutter

Preschool children who stutter aged 3 to 6-years

Diagnostic Test: Standardized assessments of speech and language abilities

Children who do not stutter

Preschool children who do not stutter aged 4 to 6-years

Diagnostic Test: Standardized assessments of speech and language abilities

Interventions

Standardized assessments of speech and language abilities DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Standardized and observational assessment of speech and language abilities

Children who do not stutter; Children who stutter

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 6 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Preschool children who do and do not stutter

You may qualify if:

• English as first/primary language
• No history of neurological disease
• Normal or corrected visual acuity
• No medications expected to affect performance
• No intellectual impairment, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD
• Age-appropriate scores on speech and language assessment battery
• Pass hearing screening at 20 dB at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000, bilaterally
• English as first/primary language
• No history of neurological disease
• Normal or corrected visual acuity
• No medications expected to affect performance
• No intellectual impairment or ASD Scores on speech and language assessments indicating stuttering, phonological (speech sound), or language disorders
• Pass hearing screening at 20 dB at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000, bilaterally

Sponsors & Collaborators

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

Study Sites (1)

Developmental Speech Lab

East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, United States

RECRUITING

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

Central Study Contacts

Katelyn Gerwin, Ph.D.

CONTACT

5173553410; msustutteringlab@gmail.com

Bridget Walsh, Ph.D.

CONTACT

5173553410; msustutteringlab@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: OTHER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 1, 2024
• First Posted: August 29, 2024
• Study Start: June 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Last Updated: April 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-09

Locations

US (1)