Purpose: Previous studies of the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S), using test and retest designs in modest-sized samples, have reported satisfactory test-retest reliability, i.e., correlations of about 0.80. Simultaneously, lower but moderate correlations between different first and second test respondents were observed and hypothesized to represent unspecified “societal” influences on stuttering attitudes. This study sought to clarify this and other potential relationships between first and second tests with the POSHA-S in a large, geographically and linguistically diverse sample.Methods: POSHA-S Overall Stuttering Scores (OSSs) of 345 respondents from 12 test-retest samples from four countries and languages, with no intervening interventions, were analyzed with correlations and by grouping respondents according to whose stuttering attitudes improved, remained the same, or worsened from test to retest.Results: Test and retest OSSs generally conformed to normal distributions and were not significantly different. Correlations between first versus second tests replicated earlier research. However, when the degree and direction of change from test to retest was considered, both in other correlations and in sorts of respondents, unexpected results emerged. Respondents with intermediate attitudes changed minimally, while those with most and least positive attitudes at the first test changed in opposite directions past the overall mean at second test.Conclusions: While demonstrating adequate test-retest reliability correlations on the POSHA-S, public attitudes were found to be less stable than previously assumed.

Background: Neurogenic stuttering is a subtype of acquired stuttering, and it is characterized by disfluencies associated with acquired brain damage. Objective: To provide an insight into pathophysiology, symptomatology, differential diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of neurogenic stuttering through a critical review of the literature. Methods: Studies published during the past and recent years were searched and analyzed on neurogenic stuttering. Results: Neurogenic stuttering is a complex disorder. The pathophysiological mechanism of neurogenic stuttering is not yet fully understood. It appears with several neurological diseases and conditions, and the use of some drugs. Differential diagnosis of neurogenic and psychogenic stuttering is a challenge for clinicians. Treatment usually requires a joint effort from speech therapists and doctors, most often neurologists Conclusion: Although research on neurogenic stuttering can be found in the literature, the complexity of this disorder still requires detailed monitoring and studying to provide the best treatment for patients.

Objective This study investigated acoustic and perceptual characteristics of the voice of patients with thyroid gland disorders such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism immediately after the diagnosis was made and six months later, after using drug therapy. Materials and Methods The study includes 20 female outpatients with hypothyroidism and 27 female outpatients with hyperthyroidism. The criterion for the selection of the patients was a thyroid gland disorder medical diagnosis, no history of voice disorders and absence of other possible causes of voice changes. Acoustic, perceptual and aerodynamic parameters were assessed. Acoustic analysis was performed by specific software. Experienced speech and language pathologists made perceptual voice assessment by using grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, and strain (GRBAS) scale. Results Significant differences in patients with hypothyroidism were established on parameter amplitude perturbation, jitter and noise-to-harmonics ratio between pretreatment and posttreatment period, in which patients took drug therapy. In group of patients with hyperthyroidism significant difference was noted only on aerodynamic parameter maximum phonation time. There were a significant differences in all perceptual parameters in both groups of patients (p<0.05) in pre and posttreatment, except on grade and asthenia parameter in the group of patients with hypothyroidism and parameter grade was borderline insignificant in the group of patients with hyperthyroidism. Conclusion Voice quality is affected by thyroid disease. Thyroid gland disorders cause minor changes in acoustic voice parameters of patients with hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, but perceptual deviations in these patients are especially noticeable.