Researchers in the Stuttering Research Laboratory are seeking participants to assist in a study of how children react to their own speech, including when they stutter. The purpose of the research is to understand the development of fluent speech in children.
A child plays with toys in a speech study laboratory.
Researchers are looking for boys and girls, ages 3-6 years, who do and do not stutter. The study participation requires two visits to the Stuttering Research Laboratory on South Campus.
The lab, located at the Gebbie Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, is under the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Arts And Sciences.
At the initial visit, the child will complete a series of speech-language tests, measuring vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and attitudes about talking, and will engage in a play-based conversation with a lab team member. This visit will last approximately one and a half hours.
Parents of the child will observe the testing over the video monitoring system, or if requested they could be present in the same room where testing is conducted. Children can take breaks as needed.
At the second visit, the child will watch a video clip showing a fish tank screensaver, will describe pictures about a boy a dog and a frog, will answer simple questions about 10 common objects (such as a ball, pencil, book) and lastly will be asked to repeat some words. This visit will last approximately one and a half hours.
During a presentation of the video clip and speaking tasks, researchers will measure the child’s physiological reactions by recording the child’s heart rate, skin conductance and respiration. Heart rate will be measured with two hypoallergenic pediatric electrodes that will be placed on the child’s chest, and skin conductance will be measured through two more hypoallergenic pediatric electrodes placed on his/her fingers. The electrodes stick to the skin temporarily like Band-Aids.
The child will be given a small prize and paid $10 for the first visit and $10 for the second visit. Parents will be provided with a written report of the speech-language evaluation results.
If you are interested in participating in this study or you have any questions, contact stuttering@syr.edu or 315-443-1118. More information can also be found on the lab website at http://stuttering.syr.edu. The lab is located at the Gebbie Clinic at Syracuse University’s South Campus, 621 Skytop Rd.
The principal investigator is Victoria Tumanova, 621 Skytop Rd., Suite 1200, 315-443- 9640, vtumanov@syr.edu.
