Category Archives: Frequently Asked Questions

What is likely to happen if my child isn’t treated?

When treatment is delayed for some time, the psychological effects of stuttering on the child and family must be considered.  Reports of child frustration as a result of teasing or other negative feedback could increase the fears and avoidance behaviours that are sometimes noted in older children who stutter.  While there is some evidence to suggest that the Lidcombe Program can be effective therapy for some school age children, it would be best clinical practice to introduce treatment before the age of 6 years if possible.

When is the best time to treat stuttering?

While many young children will recover naturally from early stuttering, but there are few factors that predict this recovery.  It is well known that many more girls than boys recover naturally and that the longer a child has been stuttering the greater the odds that the child may persist in stuttering.  The speech-language pathologist will evaluate and advise the best timing for intervention for you and your can you buy priligy online child.  Typically, it is a good idea to monitor your child’s severity of stuttering for at least 6 months following onset, especially if your child is less than 4 years old at onset.

Delaying treatment for a short period of time in preschool age children will not affect the outcome of therapy with the Lidcombe Program.  Given all other things being equal, it would probably be all right to continue to monitor severity until the child is nearing 4 years.  If the situation changes in any way, e.g., the child becomes distressed about stuttering, you may want to contact your speech-language pathologist to see if the recommendation for initiating treatment has changed.