Stuttering Severity and Educational Attainment

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between self-reported stuttering severity ratings and educational attainment. Method: Participants were 147 adults seeking treatment for stuttering. At pretreatment assessment, each participant reported the highest educational level they had attained and rated their typical and worst stuttering severity on a 9-point scale for a range of speaking situations. These included: (1) talking with a family member, (2) talking with a familiar person, not a family member, (3) talking in a group of people, (4) talking with a stranger, (5) talking with an authority figure such as a work manager or teacher, (6) talking on the telephone, (7) ordering food or drink, and (8) giving their name and address. Results: There was a significant negative relationship between highest educational achievement and mean self-reported stuttering severity rating for the eight situations. Conclusions: Future research is needed to investigate how this result should be addressed in educational institutions. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)