Description of multilingual participants who stutter

The purpose of this review was to examine the descriptions of multilingual participants provided in stuttering literature to determine how frequently and consistently relevant factors of language profile are reported.

We conducted a systematic search of published studies that included multilingual participants who stutter and reviewed the level of detail provided regarding language history, function, proficiency, stability, mode, accent, covert speech, and affective factors.

Twenty-three studies qualified to be included in the systematic review, consisting of 342 different multilingual stuttering participants. Of these 23 studies, the most frequently reported information included language proficiency (70%), history (56%), and function (43%). The specificity of the information used to define these factors was inconsistent. Affect was mentioned in 22% of studies, and language stability, mode, and accent information was included in less than 10% of the studies.

Results demonstrate that description of multilingual stuttering participants is inadequate and inconsistent. A recommended framework is provided for future studies to facilitate cross-study comparisons and enhance our ability to interpret the manifestation of stuttering in multilingual participants.

The reader will be able to: (a) summarize the current validity of cross-study comparisons in available research of multilingual participants who stutter; (b) describe the range of language factors to be included when providing descriptions of multilingual participants who stutter; (c) discuss the importance of consistency when describing language profiles of multilingual research participants.