A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Work. / The study sought to investigate the relationship of maternal and paternal attitudes and child-rearing practices towards children of different birth order positions. The research also investigated possible differences in the childrearing practices and attitudes toward" their children, of parents who had a child that stuttered, and of parents ill which there was no child wuo stuttered in the family. The research was conducted among a selected sample of forty three families who were matched on certain variables. Group A comprised thirty families in which there was no child who stuttered, and Group B comprised thirteen families each of whom had a child who had been identified as suffering from the disorder of stuttering. The data were collected by means of a postal questionnaire, and then analysed quantitavely and qualitatively using various statistical analyses. Selected variables were studied in an attempt to assess the possible effects on children as a result of birth order, parenting and stuttering. Findings revealed that parental attitudes towards the children of different birth order positions were not significantly different, However, the parents' expectations of and perceptions of their firstborn child's intelligence differed from their expectations and perceptions of their other children, No differences in child-rearing were identified between the parents of children who stuttered. and the parents of children who did not stutter. However, the parents in Group B reflected more confidence in their parenting skills. Religious centres were identified as being a popular venue for parenting programmes especially for the parents in Group A. Practice guidelines for social workers rendering services to the family in which there was a child who had the disorder of programmes were enumerated. Social workers need to be aware of the individual in interaction with an levels of the ecosystem. Social workers must also take cognizance of alternate family structures, the importance of the father in the development of the child and for Inclusi..a in therapy and benefits and methods of parenting programmes as a preventative tool to alleviate the possibility of future pathology. / Andrew Chakane 2018