Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Communication Disorders (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy

Advisor/Mentor

Bowers, Andrew

Committee Member

Bowers, Lisa

Second Committee Member

Glade, Rachel

Keywords

Interoceptive Awareness; Stuttering

Abstract

Stuttering is commonly measured through its overt characteristics (blocks, prolongations, and repetitions). This equates to stuttering “severity,” or the frequency of these behaviors. This method, however, does not reflect the lived experience of adults who stutter. This “measurement problem” has been the subject of numerous studies. In this graduate thesis, the measurement problem is addressed by using qualitative data previously gathered by Malcolm (2024) from adults who stutter about the internal experience of stuttering to create survey. Quotes from adults who stutter were gathered, categorized, edited for clarity, and formatted into a survey, The Multidimensional Interoceptive Awareness of Stuttering Scale (MIAS), that was then distributed. Nine responses were gathered and analyzed. This study aimed to determine if a survey built from the qualitative responses could be translated into a quantitative measure of interoceptive awareness. The second aim was to determine is the resulting survey would correlate with other stuttering and interoceptive measures (MAIA-2, PAiS, and UTBAS) or if these measures can predict measures on the questionnaire. Finally, the last goal was to determine if self-rated stuttering severity correlated with the resulting survey. This graduate thesis was intended to provide preliminary data to allow for further refinement of the questionnaire. Differential correlations were found with all given assessments and the MIAS. A moderate negative correlation was found with the MAIA-2, a well-validated measure of interoceptive awareness. These findings suggest that the MIAS is measuring interoceptive awareness, though it is a multidimensional survey covering several aspects of the internal feelings related to stuttering. These results are discussed within the context of the measurement problem and the construct of interoceptive awareness. Results suggest that with further refinement and more data, the MIAS could be a valid measure of the internal features of stuttering.

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