Investigating Stuttering Awareness in Children Who Stutter: A Cross-sectional Study Using Direct Questions

Background: Stuttering is a fluency disorder that begins in childhood. Parents and physicians may sometimes underestimate the condition if the child is unaware of their own stuttering, leading to a "wait-and-see" approach without early intervention or prevention.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the awareness of stuttering among children who stutter.

Methods: We enrolled 106 children aged 5–12 years with stuttering. The average frequency of stuttering was 6.6% among participants. The following four questions were asked regarding their perceptions of stuttering and experiences of teasing/bullying: “Do you sometimes repeat words or get stuck while speaking?” and “Has anyone asked you why you speak that way?” “Has anyone imitated the way you speak?” and “Has anyone laughed at your speech?” The percentage of children who answered ‘yes’ to each question was calculated.

Results: Of the 106 participants, 60.3% reported experiencing teasing or bullying, 84.9% perceived their own stuttering, and 89.6% answered "Yes" to at least one of the four questions. Significant differences in the perception and experience of teasing and bullying were observed among children aged 8–10 years old.

Conclusion: Including questions about perception in addition to teasing/ bullying helped identify children’s awareness of their stuttering. These questions may be useful for promoting early intervention and preventing disadvantages associated with stuttering.