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Usually, the symptoms of developmental stuttering first appear between the ages of 2 ½ and 4 years of age. Although onset of stuttered speech during the elementary school years is less common, many such cases have been documented. Stuttering is more prevalent among males than females. Among elementary-school-aged children, it is estimated that boys are three to four times more likely to stutter than girls are. Preschoolers may show little or no awareness of their speech difficulties, particularly during the early stages of the problem. Throughout the school years and beyond, however, most speakers who stutter become increasingly aware of their speech difficulties and how others react when they do not speak fluently.
The developmental course of stuttering varies considerably across individuals. Some children show marked difficulty with speech fluency within days or weeks of onset. Others show a gradual increase in fluency difficulties over months or years. The severity of children's stuttering can fluctuate greatly from day to day and week to week. With some children, the symptoms may appear to resolve for several weeks, only to re-emerge for no apparent reason. For adolescents and adults who stutter, the symptoms of stuttering tend to be more stable than they are during early childhood. Still, adolescent and adult speakers may report that their speech fluency is significantly better or worse than usual during specific activities.
Recent research suggests that about 75% of preschoolers who begin to stutter will eventually stop. Many children who "recover" from stuttering do so within months of the time their stuttering started. Nonetheless, there are documented instances of recovery among speakers who have stuttered for many years. The developmental processes associated with recovery are unclear, and it presently is not possible to say with certainty whether or not the stuttering symptoms for any particular child will persist into adulthood. Children's recovery from stuttering may occur in conjunction with their participation in speech therapy. The role of speech therapy in the recovery process needs to be studied further, however, because some preschoolers appear to recover without ever having seen a speech-language pathologist! It is hoped that, with continued research, speech-language pathologists will someday be able to precisely answer questions about the manner in which recovery takes place, both with and without speech therapy.
To find an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist, visit http://www.asha.org/findpro/
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