The KiddyCAT©: A Normative and Comparative study of Italian CWS and CWNS

Cross-cultural research with the Communication Attitude Test for Preschool and Kindergarten Children who Stutter (KiddyCAT) shows that, preschool and kindergarten children who stutter (CWS) as young as 3 years of age report significantly more negative attitude toward speech compared to their non-stuttering peers. The aim of this paper was to investigate the communication attitude of Italian preschool CWS by means of the KiddyCAT, and to determine whether differences in communication attitude exist among CWS, and preschool children who do not stutter (CWNS). The Italian form of the KiddyCAT was administered to a sample of 117 CWS and 80 CWNS between the age of three and six. Results show that 242 Proceedings of the 3nd International Conference on Stuttering CWS, as a group, score statistically significantly higher on the KiddyCAT than CWNS. The KiddyCAT is a useful tool for early detection of negative communication attitude of preschool CWS and helps the clinician in the decision making process.