MSU Developmental Speech Lab is Seeking Kids to Participate in a Speech Study!
Preschoolers may go through a period of stuttering as they are learning to talk, yet most children eventually develop fluent speech. For children whose stuttering persists, they may have difficulty communicating what they wish to say the way they wish to say it.
Research led by Dr. Bridget Walsh in the Michigan State University Developmental Speech Lab examines how speech develops in young children. Her research is supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Walsh’s lab is conducting a longitudinal study to map the development of neurological, behavioral, and experiential factors in young children who stutter to learn how these factors unfold over time and contribute to different stuttering outcomes in individual children—either persistence or recovery. In parallel, they research the development of adverse impact in children who stutter. This research will bring novel, comprehensive insights into the development of stuttering leading to advances in diagnostic and intervention approaches.
Preschoolers come to the lab when they are between the ages of 3 and 6 years and are asked to return to the lab each year for up to five years. Each year, children and their families come to the lab for three visits (each visit is approximately 2 hours). During these three visits, children play games and complete assessments of their speech and language with the research team. Children wear different caps that record brain activity as they listen to different sounds or describe pictures. Children also participate in a fun virtual reality task where they talk to virtual children and a kitten and complete a rhythm game by saying a word to a beat to help an animal navigate a dark cave.
Recruiting is underway for kids who DO stutter, ages 3-6, and recruiting kids who DO NOT stutter, ages 4-6. All children must speak and understand English, have normal hearing, and have no learning or neurological diagnoses.
Families eligible to participate will receive between $85.00-270.00 each year. The amount depends on the location of the sessions, distance from Michigan State University, and year in the study. Children get to pick out a prize after each session, and the lab will provide parents with a report of their child’s speech and language assessment if parents indicate they would like to receive one.
The research is approved by the Michigan State University Biomedical and Health Institutional Review Board (STUDY00001704).
Participate In Our Research Form: stutteringresearch.msu.edu/research/participate-in-research.html
Survey: msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4NGWPiRZlPFbCjr
MSU Developmental Speech Lab contact information:
Developmental Speech Lab Email: [email protected]
Developmental Speech Lab Phone Number: 517-432-7087
Contact Us Page: stutteringresearch.msu.edu/contact.html
Developmental Speech Lab can also be found on social media:
Instagram: @msu_stuttering_lab
X: @stuttering_lab
Facebook: Msu Developmental Speech Lab
Dr. Bridget Walsh is a certified speech-language pathologist and associate professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University. Dr. Walsh researches the mechanisms underlying the development of stuttering including its adverse impact in young children.
Recent publications sharing more about Michigan State University Developmental Speech Lab research:
Expanding the Pool: Mobile Speech Lab Brings Research on Stuttering to Children and Families
IPF COLLABORATES WITH COMARTSCI ON MOBILE LAB TO STUDY STUTTERING IN CHILDREN
NIH 3.1 Million Grant Funds Research Identifying Risk Factors for Lifelong Stuttering
MSU Researchers Use VR to Explore Changes in Speech and Autonomic Nervous System Activity
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