Intersensory Processing Efficiency of Fluent Speakers and Stutterers

SummaryInefficient performance on auditory-visual tests of intersensory integration is thought to be a sensitive indicator of certain specific types of cerebral dysfunction which cannot be detected by standard neurological examination. The present study was designed to assess the proficiency of fluent speakers and stutterers at matching auditory-temporal (tapping) patterns with visual-spatial (dot) displays. A modification of the Birch and Belmont test of auditory-visual integration was administered to twenty pairs of matched stutterers and fluent speakers. Results indicated that the stutterers' performance on this particular intersensory integration task was significantly lower than that of their fluent peers. This finding was interpreted as supporting the theory that the cortical organisation of stutterers might somehow be different from and less efficient than that of fluent speakers. Stutterers would seem to possess some type of specific neurological dysfunction which prevents or interferes with their...