Short Biographical Sketch

Kurt Eggers holds a B.A. in Medicine and M.A. in SLT (U of Leuven) and specialized in stuttering. He works as a lecturer/clinician in fluency disorders at the Lessius University College, coordinates the European Clinical Specialization on Fluency Disorders and is a fluency committee member of IALP. His PhD-research focuses on the role of temperament in stuttering.

Lecture Title

Temperament and Attentional Processes in Stuttering

Abstract

Several studies on temperament and stuttering showed differences in temperamental constellation between children who do and who do not stutter. These differences point towards an increased reactivity or a reduced self-regulation. Attentional processes play a crucial role in this self-regulatory efficiency. Neuropsychologists found evidence for different attentional networks, i.e. alerting, orienting and executive attention.
During this lecture we will discuss our preliminary research findings on attentional processes in a group of children who stutter and a matched control group. We will focus on the possible role of these attentional systems in the development of stuttering and describe possible pathways for interaction.

Learning outcomes

Participants will learn:

1. about different temperamental concepts
2. a basic understanding of attentional networks
3. about how attentional networks can be studied in children
4. about the possible role of temperament and attention in developmental stuttering