Subgrouping young stutterers: preliminary behavioral observations.

The purpose of this investigation was to identify speech and nonspeech behaviors associated with stuttering of young persons and to use these behaviors in attempts to discern and describe subgroups of these individuals. Forty-three young stutterers (10 girls and 33 boys) produced stutterings and associated behaviors during conversations that were video/audio recorded. Fourteen associated speech and nonspeech behaviors and speech disfluency types were identified and quantified for 10 stutterings from each of the 43 subjects. The 14 associated behaviors and speech disfluency types were further reduced to form three related indices: (a) Sound Prolongation Index, (b) Nonspeech Behavior Index, and (c) Behavioral Variety Index. Results indicated that five subgroups of young stutterers could be identified and described on the basis of these youngsters' number and variety of speech and nonspeech behaviors associated with their stuttering. Findings are taken to suggest that these speech and nonspeech behavioral differences reflect differences in young stutterers' reactions and adjustments to their problem.