A new study out of Australia shows that stuttering among preschool-aged children is fairly common, and it doesn’t tend to impact them socially.
A new study out of Australia shows that stuttering among preschool-aged children is fairly common, and it doesn’t tend to impact them socially.
In a study of over 16 hundred Melbourne children researchers found that 11 percent of them had stuttered by 4 years of age.
They found as well that those affected scored higher in both verbal and non-verbal sections of a standard test.
As far as temperament, the children were the same as their peers.
About 6 percent grew out of stuttering naturally within a year of its onset.
Researchers say they’ll continue on with the group to assess how long and by what means it takes for others to stop.
Some experts recommend that once the child seems to show signs of being bothered by their own speech pattern, it’s time to seek professional assistance.
Many also believe that preschoolers are at the age where their brains are still developing rapidly and dramatically so that’s when intervention into the disorder is best initiated.
Regardless of the route taken, it’s highly recommended that parents refrain from telling children to “slow down” or “take a breath”.
Stuttering is a neurological disorder, so neither piece of advice is likely to work and may ultimately just prove to create more frustration.
