The Development of Stuttering in Young Children

NCT ID: NCT06578416

Last Updated: 2025-09-11

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

120 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-06-01

Study Completion Date

2027-06-30

Brief Summary

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The goal of this longitudinal research is to learn why some children "grow out" of stuttering, while others persist. Children who do and do not stutter aged 3-6 years are eligible to participate in our study. During the study, children's speech and language abilities will be assessed with standardized assessments, and they complete several child-friendly experiments. During these experiments, brain activity will be recorded using specialized caps while children describe pictures, children will speak in two virtual-reality scenarios, and produce speech while keeping to a beat.

Detailed Description

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The length of participation in our study depends on the subset of activities completed. Families in the longitudinal study will take part in three visits each lasting approximately 2 hrs for up to 5 years.

Parents and caregivers will complete parent questionnaires (1 x each year for up to 5 years) and a 5-minute, online survey in between visits to the lab (1x each year for up to 5 years). Children will take part in standardized and observational assessments (1x each year for up to 5 years). These may cover aspects of social/emotional development, cognition, and speech, language, and hearing abilities. These tests are used to assess whether a child falls within or outside of the normative range for his/her age.

Children will participate in one or more of the following tasks (1x each year for up to 5 years)

* Listen to sounds or words and view or name pictures presented on a monitor. Brain activity electroencephalography (EEG) will be recorded while children listen to speech sounds and name pictures. This will be done with an elastic cap that holds special sensors (electrodes). Sensors will also be placed behind each ear, beside each eye, and under the left eye.
* Virtual reality (VR). Children wear a VR headset and experience virtual, age-appropriate talking situations (e.g., answering questions in a classroom). While they talk in these scenarios, the headset measures where they are looking (eye tracking), and sensors on their forehead, hand, and finger measure their heart rate and sweat response.
* Children will watch cartoons of animals jumping to a consistent beat (rhythm) and produce a word in time with the animal jumping/beat.
* Children will repeat nonwords, name pictures, or count while wearing a cap with sensors. Half of the sensors emit light through while the other half measures the reflected light. These sensors give us information about brain activity and are not harmful.

Conditions

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Stuttering Stuttering, Childhood Stuttering, Developmental

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

CASE_CONTROL

Study Time Perspective

OTHER

Study Groups

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Children who stutter

Preschool children who stutter aged 3 to 6-years

Standardized assessments of speech and language abilities

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Standardized and observational assessment of speech and language abilities

Children who do not stutter

Preschool children who do not stutter aged 4 to 6-years

Standardized assessments of speech and language abilities

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Standardized and observational assessment of speech and language abilities

Interventions

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Standardized assessments of speech and language abilities

Standardized and observational assessment of speech and language abilities

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* English as first/primary language
* No history of neurological disease
* Normal or corrected visual acuity
* No medications expected to affect performance
* No intellectual impairment, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD
* Age-appropriate scores on speech and language assessment battery
* Pass hearing screening at 20 dB at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000, bilaterally


* English as first/primary language
* No history of neurological disease
* Normal or corrected visual acuity
* No medications expected to affect performance
* No intellectual impairment or ASD Scores on speech and language assessments indicating stuttering, phonological (speech sound), or language disorders
* Pass hearing screening at 20 dB at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000, bilaterally
Minimum Eligible Age

3 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

6 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Michigan State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Bridget Walsh

Associate Professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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Developmental Speech Lab

East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Katelyn Gerwin, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

5173553410

Bridget Walsh, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

5173553410

Facility Contacts

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Bridget Walsh, PhD

Role: primary

5178842401

Other Identifiers

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R01DC018000

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

00001704

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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