Stuttering (often termed ‘stammering’ in the UK) is a disorder of speech rhythm or fluency. Speakers are prevented from saying what they want to say by involuntary repetition, prolongation or cessation of speech sound or syllable. In its more severe forms, breathing irregularities, facial contortions and bodily movements may accompany the act of speaking. Individuals who stutter are usually aware of their stuttering and it can be a cause of great anxiety and anguish to them and their families.

Diagnosing stuttering

In the past, diagnosis of stuttering was based on making a distinction between the dysfluency patterns described above and normal non-fluencies such as the repetition of whole words and phrases and the use of interjections where there is no sign of struggle or abnormal tension. More recent research has indicated that there are a number of overlaps between these two categories of speech and therefore parents and professionals expressing concern about a child's fluency are likely to be reacting to real problems in the child's speech (Yairi & Lewis, 1984).

It is generally agreed that stuttering may occur at any time during childhood but it usually starts for the majority of children by the age of 4 years (see Yairi & Ambrose, 1999; Mansson, 2000). Approximately 75% of young children who start to stutter will spontaneously recover. The aim is to determine which children are likely to regain fluency and which are more likely to persist in stuttering.