Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis of Speech Fluency Disorders
摘要
Assessment tools concerning stuttering are introduced for children, adolescents and adults, addressing screening procedures and assessment of overt and covert symptoms. Techniques of special diagnostic interviews are presented related to the different age groups of stutterers involving parents/partners/other relatives, considering psychosocial aspects. Correlations between stuttering, personality traits and psychosocial factors are explored, as well as their diagnostic and treatment implications. Neuroimaging findings in stuttering are demonstrated addressing the paradigm shift, neural signatures of the stuttering trait and state, markers of persistence, treatment effects, novel and potential therapeutic strategies. After the method of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is explained, therapeutical options in stuttering are presented. The neurological examination in stutterers/clutterers is demonstrated with respect to the neurogenic background, the cognitive, sensory and motor function, reflexes, coordination, gait, balance and cranial nerves. Normal psychomotor, cognitive and language stages of children of different ages and evaluation methods of voice quality and respiratory function are added as background information.