Speaker and Observer Perceptions of Physical Tension During Stuttering

Abstract

Speech-language pathologists routinely assess physical tension during evaluation of those who stutter. If speakers experience tension that is not visible to clinicians, then judgments of severity may be inaccurate. This study ad- dressed this potential discrepancy by comparing judgments of tension by people who stutter and expert clinicians to de- termine if clinicians could accurately identify the speakers’ experience of physical tension.