Abstract - Agosto a Dezembro de 2025
A Stage-1 trial of a hybrid speech-focused treatment for stuttering delivered in a non-residential semi-intensive format - TERAPIA
Case Reports J Fluency Disord. 2025 Aug 15:85 Online ahead of print.
Jessica Smith et al
1VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, USA; University of South Florida, USA.
Purpose: From 1981-1999, Pat Richard Sacco directed a residential, highly intensive, group, hybrid speech-focused treatment program for stuttering, five weeks in duration, which yielded significant reductions in stuttering and improved communication attitude. However, this model is costly, which may be a barrier to treatment. The aim of this study was to document preliminary outcomes of a three-week, non-residential, semi-intensive version of the program.
Method: Using a single subject, multiple-baseline, stacked AB design featuring three participants who stutter (two adults, one adolescent), baseline speech (monologue, read-aloud) was compared with speech following three treatment phases (stuttering exposure, stuttering modification, speech stabilization) for frequency of primary and secondary stuttering behaviors and speech rate. Ratings of speech naturalness were collected from listeners with no training in speech-language pathology. Finally, participant impressions of the treatment program and treatment impacts were gathered from graduation speeches.
Results: Relative to baseline speech, by the end of treatment: a) frequency of primary and secondary stuttering behaviors decreased to zero or near-zero for all participants, b) speech rate increased for one participant and decreased in one or both speaking tasks for two participants, and c) speech was produced with near-typical naturalness. Participants endorsed increased knowledge and confidence, sense of community, and speech-related behavioral changes.
Conclusions: The treatment reduced stuttering and changed speech rate, improved speech naturalness, and drove other acute perceived benefits in all participants. Additional research is warranted to document outcomes more comprehensively, on a larger scale, over the longer term, possibly with refinements for improving outcomes.
PMID: 40840362 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106148
Assessing the response quality and readability of ChatGPT in stuttering - OUTRAS ÁREAS
J Fluency Disord. 2025 Aug 15:85:106149. Online ahead of print.
Saeed Saeedi & Mehdi Bakhtiar
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
Objective: This study aimed to examine how frequently asked questions regarding stuttering were comprehended and answered by ChatGPT.
Methods: In this exploratory study, eleven common questions about stuttering were asked in a single conversation with the GPT-4o mini. While being blind relative to the source of the answers (whether by AI or SLPs), a panel of five certified speech and language pathologists (SLPs) was requested to differentiate if responses were produced by the ChatGPT chatbot or provided by SLPs. Additionally, they were instructed to evaluate the responses based on several criteria, including the presence of inaccuracies, the potential for causing harm and the degree of harm that could result, and alignment with the prevailing consensus within the SLP community. All ChatGPT responses were also evaluated utilizing various readability features, including the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Gunning Fog Scale Level (GFSL), and Dale-Chall Score (D-CS), the number of words, number of sentences, words per sentence (WPS), characters per word (CPW), and the percentage of difficult words. Furthermore, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was employed to examine relationship between the evaluations conducted by the panel of certified SLPs and readability features.
Results: A substantial proportion of the AI-generated responses (45.50 %) were incorrectly identified by SLP panel as being written by other SLPs, indicating high perceived human-likeness (origin). Regarding content quality, 83.60 % of the responses were found to be accurate (incorrectness), 63.60 % were rated as harmless (harm), and 38.20 % were considered to cause only minor to moderate impact (extent of harm). In terms of professional alignment, 62 % of the responses reflected the prevailing views within the SLP community (consensus). The means ± standard deviation of FRES, GFSL, and D-CS were 26.52 ± 13.94 (readable for college graduates), 18.17 ± 3.39 (readable for graduate students), and 9.90 ± 1.08 (readable for 13th to 15th grade [college]), respectively. Furthermore, each response contained an average of 99.73 words, 6.80 sentences, 17.44 WPS, 5.79 CPW, and 27.96 % difficult words. The correlation coefficients ranged between significantly large negative value (r = -0.909, p < 0.05) to very large positive value (r = 0.918, p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The results revealed that the emerging ChatGPT possesses a promising capability to provide appropriate responses to frequently asked questions in the field of stuttering, which is attested by the fact that panel of certified SLPs perceived about 45 % of them to be generated by SLPs. However, given the increasing accessibility of AI tools, particularly among individuals with limited access to professional services, it is crucial to emphasize that such tools are intended solely for educational purposes and should not replace diagnosis or treatment by qualified SLPs.
PMID: 40848602 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106149
Comparison of body image dissatisfaction among adolescent boys who do and do not stutter and investigating the relationship between body image dissatisfaction, anxiety and Self-assessed stuttering severity - INFANTIL / EMOCIONAL
Comparative Study BMC Psychol. 2025 Aug 11;13(1):893.
Mahsa Taherifard et al
Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran; Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Background: Dissatisfaction with body image in adolescents may be associated with disorders such as anxiety. As studies have reported a high risk of anxiety disorders, especially social anxiety, in people who stutter, the present study aimed to compare body image dissatisfaction in adolescent boys who do and do not stutter and investigate the association between body image dissatisfaction and anxiety in both groups.
Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 102 adolescent male students aged 15 to 17 years (divided into two groups: 51 who stutter and 51 who do not stutter) completed the questionnaires that included an informed consent form, a body image satisfaction scale, an anxiety scale, and a self-assessed stuttering severity scale.
Results: According to the results, 55% of adolescent boys who stutter had high levels of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and 59% of them had high levels of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), while in adolescent boys who do not stutter these percentages were 43% for OCD and 49% for GAD. In addition, adolescents who stuttered were found to be significantly more dissatisfied with their faces. The path analysis model also revealed a positive relationship between self-assessed stuttering severity and dissatisfaction with body image due to anxiety. In addition, the results showed that in both groups there was a positive correlation between the values of all anxiety subscales and dissatisfaction with body image.
Conclusion: A significant positive correlation was found between self-assessed stuttering severity, anxiety (particularly social anxiety), and body image dissatisfaction in adolescent boys. Therefore, the measurement of anxiety and body image dissatisfaction seems to be of particular importance in adolescent boys with moderate to high self-assessed stuttering severity.
PMID: 40790501 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-025-03266-y
What Factors Contribute to the Motivation of Adults Who Stutter to Continue Their Treatment? A Qualitative Study - TERAPIA
Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2025 Sep-Oct;60(5):e70102.
Atefeh Moazeni et al
Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Background: Stuttering is a chronic condition that requires long-term management. Previous research emphasizes that motivation plays a critical role in therapy success. Motivation is an intrinsic process that drives and directs behaviour, making it a key determinant in whether individuals continue or discontinue therapy.
Aims: This study aims to explore the factors influencing the motivation of adults who stutter to continue therapy, focusing on identifying themes and insights related to therapy continuation.
Methods and procedures: A qualitative content analysis approach was used, involving 24 adults aged 30 to 40 who stutter. Participants were recruited through purposeful and snowball sampling from social media groups of the Iranian Stuttering Association and speech and language pathologists' platforms. Participants were divided into two groups: those who chose to continue their speech therapy (n = 11) and those who decided to discontinue it (n = 13). Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted online, which were analysed using content analysis to identify themes and subthemes related to the motivation of continuing stuttering therapy.
Outcomes and results: The study identified six key themes that influence motivation to continue therapy: therapist characteristics, therapy structure and process, therapeutic setting and tools, perceived treatment effectiveness, client psychological dynamics, and social support and perception. These themes played a critical role in shaping clients' motivation and their decision to persist in therapy.
Conclusions and implications: This research underscores that a strong therapeutic alliance, along with supportive family and social environments, can enhance motivation by fulfilling basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). These needs can be addressed by focusing on effective therapeutic interactions, minimizing ambiguity in the treatment process, designing tailored treatment plans based on each client's unique goals and circumstances, fostering active participation, and providing constructive feedback.
What this study adds to the existing knowledge This study identifies key themes influencing motivation for continuing or discontinuing stuttering therapy, including individualized treatment plans, therapist characteristics, and supportive environments.
PMID: 40757417 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.70102
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