Date of Award
5-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders
First Advisor
Gregory Snyder
Second Advisor
Chaya Nanjundeswaran
Third Advisor
Toshikazu Ikuta
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Stuttering is a systemic, variable, and heterogeneous disorder associated with a variety of internal and external symptoms and experiences. Within speech-language pathology, the current stuttering assessment paradigm consists of quantitative and qualitative assessments typically administered in pre-post formats. However, many assessments poorly capture symptomatic variability, rely heavily on observer judgments of symptom severity, and are resistant to detecting meaningful change.
This study introduces the Perceived Speaking Performance Scale (PSPS), a brief questionnaire, as a self-assessment of the “stuttering experience.” The PSPS is designed to capture the variability of stuttering over time in a brief, easy-to-administer survey. This questionnaire is established along the novel concept of Speaking Performance, defined as targeting the physical effort, experiential impact, and self-perceptual and listener perceptions of stuttering. This measure is piloted through a secondary analysis within the benfotiamine supplementation study conducted in the University of Mississippi SSTAR Lab. Feasibility and preliminary acceptability of the PSPS are evaluated across repeated administrations to adults who stutter.
Findings indicate that repeated administration of the PSPS is feasible within the context of the supplementation study and that participants generally endorse the relevance of the items across submitted responses. However, conclusions regarding acceptability remain preliminary due to limited qualitative feedback and constraints in evaluating completion time. Current findings support continued evaluation of the PSPS to establish validity and determine its role in a holistic stuttering assessment paradigm.
Recommended Citation
Patton, Faith, "The Perceived Speaking Performance Scale: Assessing the Impact of Stuttering" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 8862.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/8862