Stuttering Intervention: Perspectives of Adults Who Stutter

This project focuses on stuttering intervention from the viewpoints of adults who stutter. By working with advisors who stutter at every stage of the project, the aim is to produce research findings that are more relevant to the priorities and needs of people who stutter.

Researchers

Research background

Stuttering/stammering affects around one in every hundred adults, and can have significant impacts on people’s lives. Stuttering intervention aims to stimulate helpful changes in one or more areas related to living with stammering, but research evidence shows that there is no “one size fits all” approach, and individualised programmes are important. Unintended harm is also possible.

Many intervention studies focus on measuring visible speech behaviours or anxiety, although these are just two possible aspects of experiencing stuttering. Research that asks adults who stutter about their wider experience of intervention is usually focused on a specific programme or a component of clinical practice, and research questions are chosen by academic researchers and speech and language therapists, who may or may not stutter themselves.

This PhD research project seeks to understand views of adults who stutter about stuttering intervention based on their own priorities. There is a strong focus throughout on consultation and collaboration with advisors who know about stuttering from personal experience, so that the voices of adults who stammer/stutter are given priority.

If you would like to find out more, please email barbara.moseleyharris@mail.bcu.ac.uk for more information.

Research aims

The aim of Study One was to identify topics and questions about intervention that adults who stutter view as relevant and important areas for research. This was to help us understand which questions stuttering intervention researchers could and should be asking.

Study Two is following up on some of the topics identified by adults who stutter in Study One to explore these in greater detail.

Overarching aims of the project are involving adults who stutter in as many aspects of the research process as possible, and including participants who are rarely asked to take part in stuttering research.

Research methods

Our Project Advisory Group of adults who stutter was recruited in 2023. Advisors have used their knowledge and lived experience to provide insights, advice and support to develop both studies and support the Research Ethics application process. Advisors helped to refine and expand the study's research questions, aims, and methods, and were involved during active research. For Study Two, advisors helped to select the research topic and research questions. They will continue to be involved as the study progresses.

In Study One, Stammering Intervention Research Priorities of Adults Who Stammer, we asked adults living with stammering for their views about what research is needed into stuttering support and intervention, and which ideas they thought were more important to research. We are grateful to the Dominic Barker Trust who provided funding support. You can read an earlier news article about the study here. Study Two will follow up in more detail some of the research priorities identified in Study One.

Research outcomes

Working with people with "lived experience" of a situation supports better quality research that is more relevant to the people most affected. We are identifying and hope to answer research questions that matter to adults who stutter.

In August 2024, two advisors from the Project Advisory Group joined Barbara Moseley Harris at the STAMMAFest conference to give our joint presentation on "Listening, Changing: How a Project Advisory Group is Shaping a PhD Project". Thank you to The Stammer Trust for supporting this.

In September 2025, Barbara presented some preliminary findings from Study One in a poster at the 14^th Oxford Stuttering and Cluttering Research Conference: https://oxfordstutteringcluttering.com/.

In August 2026, Barbara will be presenting information about Study One at STAMMAFest.