Speech-related abilities in young children who stutter: Predictive factors for persistence and recovery.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K10735
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities
• Principal Investigator: Sakai Naomi 国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター(研究所), 研究所 感覚機能系障害研究部, 研究室長 (60415362)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 越智 景子 東京工科大学, メディア学部, 助教 (20623713)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 吃音 / 幼児 / 発話長 / 構音速度 / turn-taking gap

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to investigate the factors that caused and persist childhood stuttering from the perspective of the Demands-Capacities model. “Demands” explored included the mora length of utterance, articulation rate, and turn-taking gap and “Capacity” included the articulation ability. For speech samples during free-play interaction with their mother of preschool children, a two-factor analysis of variance, which is group with and without articulation errors x speech turn with and without stuttering, was performed on three “Demands.” The results showed that the mora length of fluent speech of children with articulation errors was significantly shorter than that of children without articulation errors. Whereas, there was no association between increase of articulation rate or short turn-taking gap and the occurrence of stuttering. It was suggested that the longer utterance of speech planning beyond the child's ability may be a trigger for stuttering symptoms.

Free Research Field

言語聴覚療法学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

1980年代後半より、「吃音は、子どもの有する流暢な発話の産出能力と、その時の発話に対する要求（例：言語的・運動的負荷）が一致しないときに生じる」とするDemands-Capacities Model (DCモデル)が提唱されてきたが、この理論に関する定量的な研究は、親や子ども自身のDemandsのみを測定したものや、親子の発話速度の差を測定したものに限られている。本研究は、子どもの構音能力と、発話長などの子ども自身のDemandsとの関連を調べる研究であり、吃音の生起メカニズムに関して新たな知見を提供できるものである。また、臨床的示唆を有する点で社会的にも意義がある。