@article{01KKV0YFDEQHK52SB8GMYVWV4B,
  abstract     = {{Introduction: This pilot study investigated whether attention skills influence speech disfluencies in
school-aged children, comparing monolingual Dutch (MONO) speakers and bilingual Dutch–Turkish
speakers (BIL). Disfluencies frequently arise from heightened cognitive load and the planning
demands of speech production. Given that bilingualism may impose additional attentional demands,
we examined whether attention skills predict disfluency patterns across BIL’s languages and how
language dominance affects these patterns in bilinguals.
Methods: 34 typically developing children (17 MONO and 17 BIL) participated. Speech samples were
elicited through narrative retelling and spontaneous conversation in Dutch and, for bilinguals, also in
Turkish. Disfluencies were coded using the Illinois Disfluency Classification System, distinguishing
between stuttering-like (SLD) or other disfluencies (OD). Attention was assessed via the Attention
Network Test, measuring alerting, orienting, and executive control. Linear mixed-effects models
evaluated associations between attention networks and disfluency rates across groups and
languages.
Results: Speech elicitation task type significantly influenced disfluency patterns. Retelling a story
elicited more SLD, while spontaneous speech elicited more OD. Within BIL, language dominance did
not significantly affect disfluency rates. Attention networks did not significantly predict the
production of SLD and OD in Dutch in either language group. However, better alerting and executive
control scores were associated with fewer OD in the BIL’s (non)dominant language.
Conclusion: The results suggest that attention may not be a primary factor that determines
disfluency patterns, pointing to a more complex interaction between cognitive and linguistic factors.
Future research should include larger, more diverse samples and additional cognitive measures to
clarify these relationships.}},
  author       = {{Aslan, Gizem and Eggers, Kurt}},
  issn         = {{1021-7762}},
  journal      = {{FOLIA PHONIATRICA ET LOGOPAEDICA}},
  keywords     = {{speech disfluencies,bilingualism,attention,Speech disfluencies,Attention networks,Bilingualism,LEXICAL ACCESS,INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES,LANGUAGE DOMINANCE,AGE,CHILDHOOD,FREQUENCY,DISORDER,ENGLISH,SPANISH,SYSTEM}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{21}},
  title        = {{Attention networks and speech disfluencies among monolingual Dutch and bilingual Dutch-Turkish speaking children : a pilot study}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1159/000551501}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}

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