Stuttering

Treatment:

There are no absolute therapies for stuttering. Most early cases are short term. In persistent cases, speech therapy may help somewhat although stuttering tends to be very resistant to any therapies.

Some people who stutter find that when they read aloud or sing they do not stutter. It can be helpful for the child's self esteem to practice reading aloud or singing.

Expectations (prognosis):

In the majority of children who develop stuttering, the phase is only transient and their speech returns to normal. Obvious increases in speech difficulty may lead to persistence of stuttering into adulthood.

Complications:

• social problems may occasionally develop (the child may be so afraid of stuttering that he or she does not speak)

Calling your health care provider:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if stuttering is interfering with the child's schoolwork or emotional development.