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Background and objectivesExtensive research documents ubiquitous negative attitudes towards stuttering, but when and how they develop is unclear. This non-experimental, comparative study examined US and Turkish preschoolers to explore the origin of stuttering attitudes cross-culturally.MethodThe authors compared stuttering attitudes of 28 US and 31 Turkish non-stuttering preschoolers on English and Turkish versions of experimental prototypes of the newly developed Public Opinion Survey on Human Attributes–Stuttering/Child (POSHA–S/Child). Children first watched a short video of two stuttering avatar characters and then answered oral questions about stuttering. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire. Differences in the US and Turkish POSHA–S/Child means were calculated using the Mann–Whitney U test.ResultsAttitudes of the US and Turkish children were remarkably similar. Children rated most of the items negatively but also rated some items as neutral or positive. They held relatively more negative attitudes towards traits and personalities of children who stutter yet relatively more positive attitudes towards stuttering children’s potential.ConclusionStuttering attitudes in children appear to be partly independent of culture.

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Stuttering therapy for children, both preschool and school-age, has been offered in a variety of settings and formats, for example in schools, university clinics, outpatient clinics, and private practices. Therapy itself is offered either in a group setting or a one-to-one basis in many of these settings. In recent years, there has been an increase in specialized camps (generally offered in the summer) for children who stutter. Camps for children who stutter vary in duration and offer a combination of group and individual therapy in addition to activities designed to address the affective and cognitive aspects of stuttering and increase overall communicative effectiveness. This paper provides an overview and description of five such camps for children who stutter to help spread awareness and familiarize the listener with the role camps play in helping children who stutter. Preliminary outcome data on the various goals targeted within some of the camps is included; however, that is not the purpose of this paper.

Purpose Negative or uninformed stuttering attitudes proliferate among the general public, and bourgeoning research has shown that such attitudes might emerge as early as the preschool years. Much remains unknown about young children's stuttering attitudes, and conclusive recommendations to improve attitudes toward stuttering have yet to be advanced. This study sought to determine the effect of a new educational program on improving stuttering attitudes among preschool children using objective measures. Method Thirty-seven preschool children learned about stuttering and sensitive peer interactions by participating in the newly developed Attitude Change and Tolerance program. The program teaches children about human differences with an emphasis on stuttering and how to interact with people who stutter. Children's stuttering attitudes were measured using the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering/Child (Weidner & St. Louis, 2014) before and after the program. Results Pre–post comparisons showed statistically significant improvements in children's overall stuttering attitudes. In particular, children demonstrated gains relative to their perceptions of and reactions toward people who stutter. Conclusion This study provides empirical evidence that young children's stuttering attitudes can be improved using the Attitude Change and Tolerance program. In addition, it supports previous research that negative stuttering attitudes emerge as early as preschool.