Purpose
To examine the attitudes and feelings of parents of children who stutter attending an annual convention for children who stutter.
Method
A survey consisting of demographic information, 30 questions regarding parents' feelings and attitudes using a 5-point Likert scale, and 3 open-ended questions was created by the authors and completed by 45 parents of children who stutter attending a convention for children who stutter.
Results
Parents attending the support group convention were comfortable with and knowledgeable about stuttering. Parents reported that they attended the convention to support their children and themselves and to gain information regarding stuttering. Parents were most concerned that stuttering would impact their children's future and hoped that their children would become happy, confident, and effective communicators. New attendees were less comfortable answering a question regarding the cause of stuttering than were returning parents, and fathers were less likely than mothers to work on therapy homework with their child.
Conclusions
This is the first study of parents who attend stuttering support groups. The results indicated these parents were comfortable and knowledgeable about stuttering. More research regarding feelings and attitudes of parents of children who stutter, and the impact of support groups on parents, is needed.
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