Maria Paphiti

Developmental stuttering, a neurodevelopmental disorder, typically emerges between ages 2–4, persisting in 20–40% of cases. Its prevalence is 0.8%, with an 8% lifetime incidence in the general population. Stuttering impacts communication and quality of life. Research links inhibitory control (IC) and cognitive flexibility (CF) to stuttering onset and persistence, though findings have been inconsistent. This thesis examined IC, CF, and disfluencies in children who stutter (CWS) and those who do not (CWNS), aged 4–9. Using visual tasks and speech samples, the study found CWS exhibited slower IC and CF responses and higher stuttering-like disfluencies (SLDs). Older CWS (7–9 years) performed worse than younger CWS (4–6 years), who were comparable to CWNS. Results reinforce the role of IC and CF weaknesses in stuttering, highlighting their contribution to SLD production and stuttering development, offering insights into the disorder’s mechanisms and persistence.