Personal Appraisals of Support from the Perspective of Polish, Slovak, and American Children Who Stutter

Mary Weidner; Katarzyna Węsierska; Hana Laciková; Hilda Sønsterud; Signhild Skogdal; Kristin Åmodt; Kathleen Scaler‑Scott; Craig Coleman

doi:10.18778/2544-7238.06.18

Authors

Mary Weidner Pennsylvania Western University, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Human Services Building 241, 215 Scotland Road, Edinboro, PA 16444, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3159-7965
Katarzyna Węsierska University of Silesia in Katowice, Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Linguistics, 4 Uniwersytecka Street, 40-007 Katowice, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6378-9350
Hana Laciková S CŠPP Inštitút detskej reči, Železničiarska 13, Bratislava, Slovakia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5711-0476
Hilda Sønsterud Nord University, Faculty of Education and Arts, Postboks 1490, 8049 Bodø, Norway https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5701-2577
Signhild Skogdal UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Department of Education, Postboks 6050 Langnes, 9037 Tromsø, Norway https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9889-1945
Kristin Åmodt Statped, Department of Speech and Language, Postboks 113, 3081 Holmestrand, Norway https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5521-0951
Kathleen Scaler‑Scott Monmouth University, Department of Speech-Language Pathology, 400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8913-3261
Craig Coleman Pennsylvania Western University, 240 Brown Human Services Building, 215 Scotland Rd., Edinboro, PA, 16444, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6652-3491

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2544-7238.06.18

Keywords:

child, the Personal Appraisal of Support for Stuttering, support, stuttering

Abstract

Limited research exists about what children who stutter perceive to be helpful and unhelpful listener supports, and no known research exists cross‑culturally. Such information is necessary to better inform clinical intervention and public attitudes at large. This study sought to address that need by measuring listener preferences among children who stutter from diverse backgrounds.

One‑hundred fifty‑one children who stutter from Poland, Slovakia, and the USA completed the child version of the Personal Appraisal of Support for Stuttering. Results were examined descriptively and compared cross‑culturally.

Themes pertaining to very helpful and very unhelpful supports emerged across all groups. Many items fell in the neutral range, suggesting variability among individual speakers.

Based on the groups examined, children who stutter primarily want listeners to be patient, to include them, and to not laugh when they are speaking. Other nuanced preferences underscore the importance of asking individuals about what they perceive to be helpful and unhelpful. Results of this study informed a listener guideline statement and an open‑access informational handout about how to be most supportive of children who stutter.

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