Auditory Processing and Stuttering: Preliminary data

Background Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental speech disorder with unclear etiology, linked with auditory processing deficits and associated with Left Ear Advantage. The exact connection between stuttering and auditory processing remains undetermined. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate auditory processing in children with stuttering. Methods The clinical group comprised of nine children diagnosed with stuttering, while the control group consisted of nine typically developing children without stuttering. The participants completed an auditory processing battery test including Speech recognition in Babble test, Gaps in Noise test, Dichotic Digits test and Word Recognition-Rhythm Component test. The Mann- Whitney U test was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software to analyze the collected data. Additionally, the laterality index was calculated for both groups. Results The clinical group showed a statistically significant decreased performance in the gap detection task and in the Word Recognition-Rhythm Component test. The clinical group exhibited a left ear advantage, while the control group exhibited right ear advantage. Discussion These findings indicate that temporal resolution deficits may be present in stuttering which is consistent with the existing literature. Moreover, in this study children with stuttering exhibit a left ear advantage, whereas earlier research has reported inconsistent patterns. Given the small sample size, further studies with larger cohorts are needed to clarify these results. Conclusion The present study provides evidence that children who stutter may present auditory temporal processing deficits and atypical auditory asymmetry, highlighting potential risks for broader auditory processing difficulties. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive assessment of hearing and auditory processing in this population to maximize the therapeutic outcome through auditory training.