Comparison between the speech performance of fluent speakers and individuals who stutter.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the speech performance of fluent speakers and individuals who stutter during spontaneous speech, automatic speech, and singing.

Methods: The study sample was composed of 34 adults, 17 individuals who stutter and 17 fluent controls, matched for gender and age. The speech performance of participants was compared by means of three tasks: monologue, automatic speech, and singing. The following aspects were assessed: total number of common disruptions and total number of stuttering-like disruptions.

Results: Statistically significant difference was observed only for the monologue task in both intra- and inter-group comparisons.

Conclusion: The outcomes of this study indicate that tasks of higher motor and melodic complexities, such as the monologue task, negatively affect the speech fluency of both fluent speakers and individuals who stutter.