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Stuttering, Pediatric

Gary A. Emmett, MD, FAAP Reviewed 10/2018
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

Stuttering (also referred to as stammering or dysfluency) is an involuntary disturbance in the normal fluency and timing of speech that is not appropriate for the age of the speaker....

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Stuttering runs in families by both nature and nurture.

  • Age of onset and length of persistence

    • Onset is insidious, with the child often unaware of the problem.

    • If stuttering starts after...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • Therapy must work on improving the child’s fluency and increasing acceptance and tolerance of this problem by the patient and his or her family.

  • In a multicultural learning at...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

If stuttering is reported by the parents in a preschool-aged child, follow up in 1 to 2 months to see if it was only a transitory dysfluency that has resolved. If...

ADDITIONAL READING

  • Craig A, Hancock K, Tran Y, et al. Epidemiology of stuttering in the community across the entire life span. J Speech Lang Hear Res.  2002;45(6):1097–1105. [View Abstract on Ovi...

CODES

ICD9

315.35 Childhood onset fluency disorder 

ICD10

F80.81 Childhood onset fluency disorder 

SNOMED

141441000119107 childhood onset stuttering (finding) 

FAQ

  • Q: Are some children more prone to stuttering?

  • A: Yes. “Sensitive” children (many different definitions in many different studies) are more likely to stutter as are the children of highly critical ...

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