Comparing Speech Rate and Stuttering Frequency During Reading and Monologue Between Subjects With and Without Stuttering

Subjects with stuttering may show different numbers of stuttering-like disfluencies during reading and monologue tasks. The study aimed to compare the speech rate and stuttering frequency during reading and monologue tasks in subjects with stuttering and those with fluent speech.

A total of 24 subjects with stuttering and 24 subjects with fluent speech participated in this analytical-descriptive cross-sectional study. A video camera recorded the participants’ reading and monologue samples. The second version of the computerized scoring of the stuttering severity (CSSS-2) software and Praat version 5.3.78 was used to measure stuttering severity and speech rate, respectively. Statistical analysis was conducted in SPSS version 23 by applying the Independent t-test and Spearman’s correlation coefficient.

In stuttering subjects, the mean stuttering frequency was higher during monologue than reading, but not statistically significant (P=0.05). In both groups, the mean speech rate was significantly higher during reading compared to monologue. Also, in both reading and monologue tasks, the mean speech rate was significantly higher in subjects with fluent speech than in those who stutter (P<0.001). Finally, a significant negative correlation was observed between the mean stuttering frequency and speech rate during both tasks.

Considering the monologue time, subjects with stuttering have higher speech rate and less stuttering in reading. Because of stuttering-induced speech disruptions, subjects with stuttering speak slower during both reading and monologue tasks compared to subjects with fluent speech.