A study led by Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) clinicians has uncovered some reassuring findings for children who stutter, and their families.

The study by The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, The University of Melbourne and The University of Sydney, led by Professor Sheena Reilly, found that stuttering is twice as common in preschoolers than previously thought, but that these preschoolers will do fine both emotionally and socially.

The study, co-written by Professor Melissa Wake, was published in the international journal Pediatrics on Monday, and is based on long-term observations of over 1600 children in Melbourne, who were followed from infancy to four years old.

According to the research, 11.2 per cent of children up to the age of four have a mild stutter and it has long been thought that developmental stuttering is associated with poorer outcomes in the preschool period.

However after performing mental health and temperament measures, tests on non-verbal intelligence and language, and measuring stuttering by counting the number of syllables repeated, the study found the opposite. It was found that stuttering is actually associated with better language development and had no identifiable effect on the child’s mental health or temperament at four years old.

These finding now mean that families can take a ‘watch and wait’ approach to their child’s stuttering, without causing harm to their child’s language skills, social or emotional development.

Lead researcher Professor Sheena Reilly said “current best practice recommends waiting for 12 months before commencing treatment, unless the child is distressed, there is parental concern, or the child becomes reluctant to communicate. It may be that for many children treatment could be deferred slightly further.”

“Treatment is effective but is intensive and expensive, this watchful recommendation would therefore help target allocation of scarce resources to the small number of children who do not resolve and experience adverse outcomes, secure in the knowledge that delaying treatment for a year or slightly longer has been shown not to compromise treatment efficacy,” she said.

The research will also be valuable for health and developmental care providers, preschool teachers, as well as maternal health and paediatric nurses.