The early months of stuttering: a developmental study
E Yairi1, N G Ambrose, R Niermann
1University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Insights
Early childhood stuttering often appears severe but typically improves significantly within six months. This rapid reduction highlights the importance of timing for early intervention in childhood stuttering.
Area of Science:
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Objective data on early stuttering development is limited.
- Parents often delay seeking professional help for early stuttering.
- Longitudinal studies commencing near stuttering onset are rare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the initial presentation and 6-month development of stuttering in preschool children.
- To analyze changes in stuttering severity and associated behaviors.
- To inform the timing of early intervention strategies.
Main Methods:
- Followed 16 preschool children diagnosed with stuttering within weeks of onset.
- Utilized multiple measures including disfluency counts, associated movements, and parent/clinician ratings.
- Conducted a 6-month longitudinal observation period.
Main Results:
- Early stuttering frequently presented as moderate-to-severe.
- Significant reductions were observed in stuttering-like disfluencies and associated movements.
- Clinician and parent ratings of stuttering severity also decreased substantially.
- Complete recovery was noted in several participants, including severe cases.
Conclusions:
- Early childhood stuttering undergoes rapid and substantial changes within the first six months post-onset.
- The duration of stuttering history significantly impacts research findings.
- The high rate of early improvement warrants careful consideration of intervention timing.
Abstract:
Objective data on the development of stuttering during its first several months are sparse. Such a deficit is due to parents' tendency to postpone professional consultation regarding early stuttering until later in the course of the disorder and to a lack of longitudinal studies beginning close to onset. This report presents information on a rare group of 16 preschool subjects who were evaluated within several weeks after stuttering onset and followed for 6 months using multiple measures. The findings show that often early stuttering takes on a moderate-to-severe form. Substantial changes occurred, however, during the 6 months of the study, with a strong tendency for reduction in stuttering-like disfluencies, number of head/face movements, clinician severity ratings of stuttering, and parent ratings of stuttering. Several subjects, including severe cases, exhibited complete recovery. The large changes that occur during the early stage of stuttering suggest that relatively small differences in the length of post-onset interval (stuttering history) can greatly influence all research data of early childhood stuttering. The high, as well as fast, improvement rate suggests that the precise timing of early intervention should be conscientiously evaluated in carefully controlled studies.
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