Investigation of experiences on stuttering and expectations from therapies of parents of 4 – 6 years old children with stuttering

In this study, the experiences of parents of preschool children with stuttering and their expectations from the therapy were examined. Qualitative research method was used in the research and semi-structured interviews were held with the parents of children aged 4 - 6 years with stuttering to collect data. At the end of the interviews, the qualitative data obtained from a total of eight participants (four mothers, four fathers) were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. In this process, qualitative research trustworthiness procedures were followed. When the findings obtained in the study are evaluated holistically; while it is seen that the development of children who stutter is negatively affected in many ways due to stuttering, it has been revealed that their parents also have negative experiences (such as negative emotional and social effects of stuttering) in many aspects. In addition, the research has shown that it is important to support the development of children with stuttering, to inform parents about stuttering, and to form quality interactions with the child in therapies to meet parental expectations. At the end of the research, it was concluded that it is important to question the experiences of both mothers and fathers of children with stuttering and their expectations from the intervention for increasing the efficiency of therapies in preschool stuttering therapies.