Dhatri Devaraju, Ph.D.
Lecturer and Scientist, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders,
Speech Processing and Auditory Neuroscience (SPAN) Lab
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Fine-grained Auditory Temporal Processing Deficits in Individuals who Stutter
Speech production errors exhibited by individuals who stutter may result from underlying deficits in auditory feedback monitoring as posited by internal models for sensorimotor processing. These deficits can lead to faulty auditory speech representations at the cortical level as the disorder progresses through its developmental course. Individuals who stutter also exhibit temporal processing deficits, which are vital for speech perception. Temporal fine structure is important for speech perception, more so in the presence of noise, as noise smears the temporal envelope of speech. Thus, deficits in temporal processing can manifest as impaired speech perception in noise in these individuals. In this talk, I will be discussing a series of behavioral and electrophysiological (frequency following responses) studies conducted to understand temporal processing in adults who stutter. These findings highlight how temporal processing and speech perception in noise are impacted in this population, warranting further exploration of these essential processes in communication.