Neuropsychological Profile of Stuttering Children

The purpose of this study was to analyze the cognitive profile of stuttering children. A sample of 290 children was obtained from an elementary school in Bogota (Colombia) (149 boys, 141 girls). Three right-handed boys were classified as stutterers. In general, performance in stuttering children was similar to the performance in the total sample. Statistically significant differences in two test scores were observed, with a higher performance in the stuttering group: Finger Tapping Test with the left hand and Quantitative Concepts from the Woodcock Psychoeducational Battery. These results do not support the existence of any cognitive deficit in stuttering children when using standard neuropsychological testing procedures. However, in two of three stuttering children, some developmental abnormalities were mentionded by their parents (hyperactivity associated with inattention in one child and difficulties in learning to read in the other child). It is proposed that these developmental abnormalities might be the result of the emotional and communication difficulties generally associated with stuttering. These results, on the other hand, support a bihemispheric control of fine movements, as has been frequently mentioned in stuttering research.