Contemporary clinical conversations about stuttering: Telling parents why their child began to stutter

Parents of children who have begun to stutter need an explanation why this has occurred. For that explanation, clinicians have many research findings available to them from many disciplines. It may be challenging for junior clinicians and students of speech-language pathology to integrate and synthesise that knowledge for parents. The purpose of this clinical conversation is to provide guidance in that matter. The issue was discussed by speech-language pathologists and researchers. Written conversational turns in an exchange were limited to 100 words each. There was general agreement about core material to be conveyed to parents: An explanation of stuttering onset needs to be multifactorial, incorporating a physical mechanism driving causality. We recommend this explanation needs to include current empirical research and theoretical perspectives about stuttering. To do that, clinicians need to keep up to date with current research and thinking about the condition. An explanation to parents must not overwhelm or alarm them, but be supportive and provide groundwork for intervention. Finally, it is essential to explore parent views about why a child began to stutter. Supplementary materials are provided (Appendix A): Participants present their model of how they would tell parents why their child began to stutter and a reading list is provided.