Paralinguistic intonation-rhythm intervention with a developmental stutterer

Researchers have been alerted to a possible link between speech fluency and its breakdown and cognitive-linguistic loading during the period of language acquisition. A child must acquire and maintain linguistic and extralinguistic properties of language for communication purposes. The intonation-rhythm intervention reported in this article is based on the theory that developmental stuttering is founded in the young child's limited knowledge of paralinguistic rules, which incapacitates planning of the suprasegmental features necessary for fluent speech. Therefore, the timing of speech is disrupted, and the motor planning for fluency is inappropriately coded and habitualized. The intervention focuses on the rules of intonation and uses motoric movement to teach them. The results indicate that this intervention is effective in reducing disfluencies. Further research in the possible linguistic-extralinguistic link in the development of stuttering is warranted.