Stuttering-Like Behaviors in ASL Cripps et al.
Other
Not sure 2 (3%)
1 (1%)
Specific situations that seem to worsen ASL stuttering behaviors:
Yes
No
42 (49%)
43 (51%)
Kinds of situations (67 responses based on 42 respondents):
Signing in front of a small group
16 (24%)
Signing in a front of a large group
22 (33%)
Giving presentations
9 (13%)
Other
20 (30%)
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With regards to whether stuttering-like behaviors occurred in a signed utterance from a
deaf individual (in the beginning vs. in the middle vs. at the end), a total of 115 responses were
made. The majority of the respondents reported that it occurred at the beginning of an utterance
(i.e., 46 responses; 40%) and in the middle (37 responses; 32%). Therefore, stuttering-like
behaviors most likely occurred at the beginning or in the middle of a signed utterance. Stuttering-
like behaviors did occur at the end of a signed utterance, but it appeared to be rare according to the
respondents. A small number of respondents were unsure about where stuttering-like behaviors
occur in a signed utterance (17 out of 85 respondents; 15%).
One half of the respondents (42 or 49.5%) reported the prevalence of secondary behaviors
among the individuals who demonstrate stuttering-like behaviors when signing. Facial grimacing
(e.g., jaw jerking, tongue protruding, lip pressing, or jaw muscles tensing) was most reported (23
responses, 31%), followed by head movements (e.g., back, forward, turning away, poor eye
contact, or constant looking around) (22 responses, 30%). Movements of the extremities (e.g., arm
and hand movement, hands about face, torso movement, leg movements, foot-tapping, or
swinging) was the third type most common identified (17 responses, 23%) and distracting sounds
(e.g., noisy breathing, whistling, sniffing, blowing, or clicking sounds) was the fourth type with 9
responses (12%).
Based on 67 responses from 42 respondents, scenarios that worsened stuttering-like
behaviors among deaf individuals were signing in front of large groups (22 responses, 33%),
signing in front of small groups (16 responses, 24%), and giving presentations (9 responses, 13%).
However, most of the respondents (20 responses, 30%) identified ‘other’ situations where the
stuttering-like behavior became worse. Most of the scenarios were based on expressing emotions
(angry, frustrated, or stressed) which is considered as internal factor related to stuttering (e.g.,
Guitar, 2014; Yaruss & Quesal, 2004). Other situations reported included: one on one interactions,
meeting new people, peer competition for talk time, and signing in front of a webcam.
Discussion and Conclusion
Results from the current survey-based study provide relevant information regarding
individuals who exhibit stuttering-like behaviors in ASL. Findings appear to corroborate the
evidence from previous studies that supported the existence of stuttering-like behaviors in signed
language. Based on the observations from the respondents in the study, 85 deaf individuals
SASLJ, Vol. 2, No.1 – Spring/Summer 2018
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