1. 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

2. 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?

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. References
Ambrose, N. G. & Yairi, E. (1994). The development of awareness of stuttering in preschool children. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 19, Coplan, R. J., Findlay, L. C., & Nelson, L. J. (2004). Characteristics of preschoolers with lower perceived competence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32(4), Harter, S. & Pike, R. (1984). The pictorial scale of perceived competence and social acceptance for young children. Child Development, 55(6), Iverach, L. & Rapee, R. M. (2014). Social anxiety disorder and stuttering: Current status and future directions. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 40, Nelson, L. J., Rubin, K. H., & Fox, N. A. (2005). Social withdrawal, observed peer acceptance, and the development of self-perceptions in children ages 4 to 7 years. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 20(2), Rothbart, M. K., & Hwang, J. (2005). Temperament and the development of competence and motivation. In A. J. Elliot & C. S. Dweck (Eds.), Handbook of competence & motivation (pp ). New York: Guilford Press. Tram, J. M., & Cole, D. A. (2000). Self-perceived competence and the relation between life events and depressive symptoms in adolescence: Mediator or moderator? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109(4), Zebrowski, P. M. (2007). Treatment factors that influence therapy outcomes of children who stutter. In E. G. Conture & R. F. Curlee (Eds.), Stuttering and related disorders of fluency (2nd ed.) (23-38), New York: Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.