The differential impact of bilingualism on stuttering severity, language-specific patterns, and therapy outcomes in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate (1) if bilingual children differ from monolingual peers in stuttering severity, (2) if severity varies between their first (L1) and second (L2) languages, and (3) how bilingualism affects treatment outcomes.

METHODS

Twenty-six empirical studies were analyzed after a comprehensive search and screening. Random-effects models compared stuttering severity between bilingual and monolingual children, assessed L1 versus L2 differences, and evaluated fluency post-treatment.

RESULTS

Bilingual children showed significantly greater stuttering severity than monolingual peers, likely due to heightened cognitive and speech motor demands of managing two languages. Severity was higher in L2 than L1, reflecting proficiency and dominance effects. Treatment outcomes revealed substantial fluency improvements in bilingual children, comparable to monolingual results. However, inconsistent bilingualism definitions and severity measures limited comparisons.

CONCLUSION

Bilingualism increases stuttering severity, particularly in L2, but does not impair treatment success. Comprehensive bilingual assessments and culturally responsive interventions are essential. Future research should use longitudinal designs, diverse language pairs, and standardized criteria to improve clinical practices for bilingual children who stutter.