Developmental stuttering disrupts speech communication, one of the most fundamental human actions. Affecting 5% of preschool-aged children and 1% of the general population, stuttering can lead to severe psychosocial consequences throughout a person's lifespan. Over the past three decades, neuroimaging studies of both children and adults who stutter have begun to provide significant insights into the neurobiological bases of this complex, multifactorial neurodevelopmental condition. In this talk, I will present updated behavioral and neuroimaging research findings from studies of young children that shed light on the potential neural bases of stuttering persistence and recovery.
 
Learning Objectives:
Participants will:
1.     List at least one major neural network that support speech production
2.     Describe a neural circuit that has been reported to be associated with persistent stuttering 
3.     Explain what methods have been used to investigate structure and functional differences found in brain development among children who stutter 
4.     Describe potential clinical applications of accrued neuroimaging research findings

Target Audience: Speech-Language Pathologists, Researchers, Graduate Students

Soo-Eun Chang, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is Director of the Speech Neurophysiology Lab and the Rosa Casco Solano-Lopez Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. Dr. Chang's research focuses on examining neural bases of stuttering using multimodal neuroimaging techniques and testing novel treatments with non-invasive brain stimulation.