Disfluencies in children with phonology and language deficits

It has been suggested that children who stutter exhibit concomitant phonological or language disorders with greater frequency than non-stuttering children. Further, there is a frequent co-occurrence of phonological and language disorders. The present investigation was designed to supplement diagnostic procedures when there is concern about whether a child with phonological and morphosyntactic disorders is at risk for stuttering. Speech samples from normally fluent children with phonological and morphosyntactic deficits were analyzed to obtain counts of speech disfluency. The relationship between disfluency and measures of phonology and language was explored using regression analyses. The preschool aged, normally fluent children in this study with phonological and language disorders did not exhibit a greater number of disfluencies than expected in the normally developing age matched population. The regression analyses revealed a negligible relationship between phonological and language variables and frequency of disfluency. Clinical implication of the findings and future research are discussed.