Stuttering may be more than a speech problem. A new study finds children who stutter have trouble identifying rhythmic drumbeats.
“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, a psychology professor at Michigan State University.
“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,” added McAuley, who is co-author of the study published in the journal Brain and Language.
