Pragmatic Language Skills of Turkish-Speaking Children Who Stutter

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between pragmatic language skills of children who stutter (CWS) and the frequency of stuttering, with a focus on the development of these skills through peer interaction in the school years. It is well-known that CWS may face social disadvantages at school due to their limited peer interaction, which may pose a risk to the development of their pragmatic language skills.

The study involved 64 CWS aged between 60 and 106 months. Stuttering frequency was determined by analyzing children's spontaneous speech recordings during playtime with their parents. The children's language development was assessed using the Turkish School Age Language Development Assessment Test (TODİL), while speech sound disorders were evaluated using the Turkish Articulation and Phonology Test (SST). Teachers of children whose language and speech sound development were typical were contacted to evaluate the pragmatic language skills of the children using the Pragmatic Language Skills Inventory (PLSI).

The results of the evaluation showed that 51.6% of the children had below-average pragmatic language skills. Additionally, a negative correlation was observed between the frequency of stuttering and PLSI (p < 0.05), suggesting that as the frequency of stuttering increased, pragmatic language skills scores decreased.

CWS may face challenges in communicating effectively, despite their formal language assessment results falling within the normal range. The findings support that pragmatic language skills should be considered when treating stuttering due to their critical role in academic and social outcomes.