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Dr. Hatun Zengin-Bolatkale, Assistant Professor in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University, joins host Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to discuss findings from a two-part research project examining emotional processing and control in children who stutter. Dr. Zengin-Bolatkale begins by sharing her background and what led her into the field of stuttering research. She then guides listeners through her work investigating the interplay between emotions and stuttering, drawing on multiple methods to better understand this complex relationship. The conversation highlights two key studies (referenced below), covering relevant background, study design, surprising and noteworthy findings, and the implications of the results. Dr. Zengin-Bolatkale closes by sharing exciting future areas of research and projects she has underway. 

Papers discussed:

• Zengin-Bolatkale, H., Key, A. P., & Jones, R. M. (2025). Cortical emotional reactivity, caregiver-reported emotional control, and stuttering frequency in young children. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 85, Article 106139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2025.106139
• Zengin-Bolatkale, H., Conture, E. G., Key, A. P., Walden, T. A., & Jones, R. M. (2018). Cortical associates of emotional reactivity and regulation in childhood stuttering. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 56, 81–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2018.04.001

Hatun Zengin-Bolatkale, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University. She’s a speech-language pathologist by training and has over a decade of experience across working clinically, teaching, and doing research in the field, with a focus on stuttering. She earned her master’s in speech-language pathology from the University of Illinois and completed her Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University. Her work focuses on young children who stutter, with a special interest in how cognitive, emotional, and language-related factors influence the way stuttering develops—and why some children recover while others do not. In her research, she uses a variety of tools, from parent reports and behavioral observation to physiological measures like skin conductance, heart rate, and brain activity, to get a more complete picture of stuttering. Her ultimate goal is to support more informed and individualized approaches to assessment and treatment.