Self-Perceived Competence & Social Acceptance of Children who Stutter Developmental stuttering takes hold of about 5% of young children between 3-5 years of age. Stuttering is hallmarked by disruptions in speech output, but it is more than a mere disorder of fluency. Soon after the onset of stuttering, children can develop an awareness that talking is hard and that they talk differently from their peers. This awareness can lead to negative attitudes towards communication for some children who stutter. So stuttering can affect our thoughts and feelings about communication, in addition to our speech behaviors, as we interact with others in our environment. Repeated exposure to communication difficulties AND awareness of not meeting the demands of the linguistic environment may negatively impact how children see themselves in their world. Purpose: determine whether early experience with stuttering affect children who stutter’s self-concept in a more global context, not just related to their speech. Value is two-fold: (1) examine social-emotional and cognitive repercussions of stuttering; (2) identify kids who view their competence negatively, because these kids are more likely to develop internalizing problems (anxiety, depression), have poorer academic achievement, and are more often excluded by their peers. Naomi Hertsberg, M.A., CCC-SLP April 24, 2015

Research Questions 1 Do young children who stutter (CWS) differ from young children who do not stutter (CWNS) in their perceived general competence and/or perceived social acceptance? 2 Hypothesis: CWS will score lower than CWNS in both perceived general competence and social acceptance Hypothesis: Child characteristics that are known to differ between group CWS and CWNS will predict general competence and social acceptance the most, such as sex, language, phonology, and temperament. What child characteristics predict perceived competence and social acceptance?

Methods: Participants & Measures 13 CWS 4;11 (0;6) 9 boys, 4 girls 14 CWNS 4;9 (0;5) 8 boys, 6 girls 27 Participants Stuttering Frequency (% stuttered words) Sex Quasi-experimental study that included 27 participants. Started with 28 (equal groups), but 1 participant’s scores were an extreme outlier, so he was dropped from the analysis Harter & Pike scale  used in related fields related to child development and psychology, but never in stuttering

Findings: Between-Group Differences of PCSA 4 subscales of PCSA; 2 composites two-tailed independent samples t-test  no significant differences between the two-groups Overall: Overly positive regardless of competence  mirror cognitive abilities of young children (their skills are black and white  either good at doing things or not; rooted in observable behaviors); may be beneficial for emotional and behavioral development, and also may be affected by the fact that caregivers often provide overly positive feedback

Findings: Predictors of PCSA Perceived General Competence Sex Stuttering Frequency Language Phonology Temperament Perceived Social Acceptance Sex Stuttering Frequency Language Phonology Temperament F(3.23)=-9.06, p<.01 F(1,25)=6.22, p<.05 Linear regression identified: Sex as sig. predictor of perceived general competence We know that girls are less likely to start stuttering and if they do start stuttering, they are more likely to experience unassisted recovery than boys; their high perceived general competence may serve as a “buffer” against stuttering Stuttering frequency as sig. predictor of perceived social acceptance The more a child stuttered, the lower his perceived social acceptance was Literature from psychology has shown that low perceived social acceptance is linked to social anxiety Adult stuttering literature points to a higher rate of trait social anxiety in AWS than in the general population No literature on social anxiety in children who stutter  possible that we found a precursor to social anxiety in kids who stutter

PERCEIVED GENERAL COMEPTENCE PERCEIVED SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE PCSA Items PERCEIVED GENERAL COMEPTENCE COGNITIVE COMPETENCE PHYSICAL COMPETENCE Good at puzzles Good at swinging Gets starts on papers Good at climbing Knows names of colors Can tie shoes Good at counting Good at skipping Knows alphabet Good at running Knows first letter of name Good at hopping PERCEIVED SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE PEER ACCEPTANCE MATERNAL ACCEPTANCE Has lots of friends Mom smiles Stays overnight at friends’ Mom takes you places you like Has friends to play with Mom cooks favorite foods Has friends on playground Mom reads to you Gets asked to play with other Mom plays with you Eats dinner at friends’ house Mom talks to you

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