Stuttering Linked to Difficulty in Perceiving a Beat in Music-like Rhythms

Stuttering can be a challenge for children that suffer from the speech problem. But could the issue signal something else? Scientists have found that children who stutter have difficulty perceiving a beat in music-like rhythms, which could account for their halting speech patterns.

"Stuttering has primarily been interpreted as a speech motor difficulty, but this is the first study that shows it's related to a rhythm perception deficit-in other words, the ability to perceive and keep a beat," said Devin McAuley, co-author of the new study, in a news release. "That's important because it identifies potential interventions which might focus on improving beat perception in children who stutter, which then might translate to improved fluency in speech."

About 70 percent to 80 percent of children between the ages of three and five who stutter will eventually stop. Despite research on stuttering, though, the underlying mechanisms behind these speech disruptions remain unclear.

In order to find this underlying mechanism, the researchers tested a group of children who stuttered and a group who didn't. They had these children listen to and then identify rhythmic drumbeats in the context of a computer game. Even after taking into account the children's IQs and language abilities, the researchers found that children who stuttered did much worse at judging whether two rhythms were the same or different.

Currently, the researchers are integrating the behavioral data with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This could help them identify which brain networks may be responsible for the rhythm perception deficit.

The findings could help researchers develop treatments for stutters and may allow them to better understand the issue, especially if it's associated with rhythm rather than simply speech.

The findings are published in the journal Brain and Language.

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