A comparison of attitudes towards stuttering of non-stuttering preschoolers in the United States and Turkey.
Mary E Weidner, Kenneth O St Louis, Egemen Nakisci and 1 others
PMID 28470081WHAT IT FOUND
US and Turkish non-stuttering preschoolers had nearly identical, generally negative attitudes toward stuttering.
The only stuttering belief that differed between countries was whether stuttering comes from God/Allah. Neither group had much real-world contact with people who stutter.
Key findings
01On a -100 to +100 attitude scale, the Overall Stuttering Score was -7 for both US and Turkish children, indicating generally negative attitudes.
02Of 49 stuttering attitude comparisons between countries, only one differed: the item about stuttering coming from God/Allah.
03The children had almost no real-life contact with stuttering: none stuttered, and only two US children had prior personal contact with a person who stutters.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 58 children, and they were convenience samples, so the results may not represent preschoolers in the United States or Turkey. The child stuttering attitude survey was still under development, and its reliability and validity were not fully established. Children answered about video avatars, not real classmates, so their reported reactions may not match what they would do in a playground. The US and Turkish groups differed in family education, relative income, school hours and city size, so country differences cannot be separated from background differences. Parents reported much lower health and ability scores for Turkish children, but the authors said this may reflect reporting differences rather than real health differences. The study did not observe social exclusion or bullying, so it cannot show how these attitudes affect real peer relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this proves preschoolers will exclude children who stutter. The children said stuttering children are different and they might say slow down or finish words, but they also said stuttering children can make friends and do the same things as others, and the study did not observe real peer behaviour.