Clinical management of stuttering in children and adults
BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d3742 (Published 24 June 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d3742
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We would like to thank Dr Ingham for bringing this oversight to our
attention. Indeed, it is correct that the Reilly et al. (2009) report
only presents data for children up to 3 years of age. However, a follow-up
study of this Australian cohort of children 12 months later found a
cumulative incidence of 12.2% by 4 years of age. This datum was presented
by Dr. Reilly at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Philadelphia, USA in November 2010.
References.
1. Reilly S, Onslow M, Packman A, Wake M, Bavin EL, Prior M, et al.
Predicting stuttering onset by the age of 3 years: a prospective,
community cohort study. Pediatrics 2009;123:270-7.
2. Reilly, S. (November 2010). Stuttering Onset & Recovery: Early
Language in Victoria Study (ELVS). Paper presented at the Annual
Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,
Philadelphia, USA.
Competing interests: No competing interests
In the June 25, 2011 edition of the British Medical Journal O'Brian
and Onslow2 provide an overview of clinical management of developmental
stuttering in children and adults. Included in that review is the
following statement: "An Australian cohort study (n=1619) of children
recruited at 8 months of age found that 8.5% had begun to stutter a (sic)
36 months of age, and 12.2% by 48 months.1"
Given the overwhelming contrary evidence from numerous surveys of
stuttering in children3 showing that an 8.5% prevalence in 3 year old
children is an extraordinarily high figure, then it becomes even more
extraordinary to claim a prevalence of 12.2% in 4 year old children. That
claim is made even more suspect because the supplied reference for the
finding1 does not contain any evidence justifying that claim. The Reilly
et al. (2009, p. 275) paper states clearly "This report includes onset
only up to 3 years." Neither the Reilly et al. report nor O'Brian and
Onslow's review contain any data on 4 year old children. This misleading
claim requires explanation.
References.
1. Reilly S, Onslow M, Packman A, Wake M, Bavin EL, Prior M, et al.
Predicting stuttering onset by the age of 3 years: a prospective,
community cohort study. Pediatrics
2009;123:270-7.
2. O'Brian S, Onslow M. Clinical management of stuttering in children
and adults. BMJ 2011;342:d3742.
3. Bloodstein O, Ratner NB. A Handbook on Stuttering (6th ed.). New
York: Thompson.
2008.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Re:Comment on stuttering review
The article was quite educative. Much neglected, often trivialized
and frequently ridiculed - stammering or stuttering needs more medical
attention. I have come across a few medical students over the deacdes for
whom stuttering was (and remained) an insurmountable disability - especially
when taking patient history or facing orals/viva voce for university level
examinations.
I have however observed that even severe stutterers can recite poems
learnt by rote or sing songs when their lyrics are memorized. What happens
to the stutter stimulating factors in these cases? How can someone known
to stammer for a long time, all of a sudden recite uninterrupted or croon
flawlessly?
I think there is more to this scourge than we understand. It is time
neurologists, peadiatricians, and speech-language pathologists joined
ranks to address this mysterious ailment
Arunachalam Kumar
Competing interests: No competing interests