HOW DOES STUTTERING DEVELOP IN CHILDHOOD?
The mean onset of stuttering is 30 months, or two and a half years old. Stuttering rarely begins after age six. 65% of preschoolers who stutter spontaneously recover, in their first two years of stuttering. Only 18% of children who stutter five years recover spontaneously. The peak age of recovery is 3.5 years old. By age six, a child is unlikely to recover without speech therapy. Among preschoolers, boys who stutter outnumber girls who stutter about two to one, or less. But more girls recover fluent speech, and more boys don’t. By fifth grade the ratio is about four boys who stutter to one girl who stutters. This ratio remains into adulthood. Some pediatricians tell parents to “wait and see” if a child outgrows stuttering on his own. That advice is wrong. Children who stutter should be treated by a speech-language pathologist as soon as possible. All children experience normal dysfluencies as they learn to talk, which they will outgrow. A current issue is whether stuttering develops p
