Preschool stutterers fair better than first thought, a new study has found.
A study by the University of Melbourne, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and The University of Sydney of over 1600 children, which followed the children from infancy to four years old, found the cumulative incidence of stuttering by four years old was 11 percent, more than twice what has previously been reported.
However, the study refutes the long held view that suggests developmental stuttering is associated with a range of poorer outcomes in the preschool period.
Interestingly, the study found the reverse was true, with stuttering associated with better language development, non-verbal skills with no identifiable effect on the child's mental health or temperament at four years old.
Surprisingly, researchers found that recovery from stuttering was low, 6.3 percent, 12 months after onset.
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Rates of recovery were higher in boys than girls, and in those who did not repeat whole words at onset than those who did. The study boys were more likely to develop stuttering.
Lead researcher, Professor Sheena Reilly said that parents could be happy in knowing that they can take a 'watch and wait' approach to their child's stuttering and it won't be causing harm to their child's language skills or social and emotional development.
The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.
