Language and Dysfluency in Two Young Children with Down Syndrome

Monica Bray

Information about the onset and development of dysfluency in Down syndrome is severely limited. We know that a high percentage of adults with the syndrome are dysfluent (45%), but we have no knowledge of the links between childhood dysfluency and its persistence into adulthood. In-depth case studies of two young children who have been recently identified as stuttering by their parents will be presented. Linguistic and phonetic analysis of the children’s speech and language from samples collected over a 9 month period, as well as the family histories and coping styles will be discussed. The findings will be linked to current linguistic and neurobiological ideas about stuttering.