Performance of PWS on Self Select Reaction Time Paradigm Using Speech and Non Speech Tasks

Abstract

The disorder of stuttering is viewed in terms of speech motor control perspective in the recent times. Most of the theories and models hint upon difficulty in initiating and controlling the speech movements as a common factor in persons with stuttering. Reaction time measures have been extended to study the common neuromotoric deficits across unrelated motor systems to generate an extensive data to verify that stuttering is a disorder extending beyond speech. Reaction time paradigms have been modified to tap the intended measure. In this study a modified reaction time paradigm called 'Self-Select Reaction Time Paradigm ' is used to delineate the motor programming deficits if any seen in Person with stuttering (PWS) across non speech and speech tasks. Fifteen PWS who had undergone speech therapy, JO PWS without any treatment and 25 normal controls in the age range of 16-30 years participated in the study. The Self Select Reaction Time Paradigm was used to measure the reaction time for two motor programming processes namely INT and SEQ across speech and non speech tasks within four (1 short,1 long, 4long & 4short) conditions. The results revealed that both the groups differed in various conditions across speech and non speech tasks. A modality independent deficit in the INT process was evident which supported a generalized motor programming deficit in the organization of spatiotemporal sequences in PWS. The potential utility of the paradigm and the implications of the results to the current understanding of the disorder of stuttering are discussed