The following is a release from stutteringhelp.org:

Parents who notice their young child beginning to stutter should seek help right away; and help is available at most public libraries.

In the past, experts incorrectly believed that paying attention to a child’s stuttering would exacerbate the situation. It was even feared that offering the child therapy would make the child more aware and cause more stuttering,” said speech-language pathologist Lisa Scott, Ph.D. of The Florida State University.

However, research by Australian scientists published in the British Medical Journal bolsters current thinking that early treatment for children who stutter is not only crucial but also can effectively prevent the problem from becoming a chronic one.

“These findings should provide support to the important idea that we should shift from a ‘hands-off’ approach to more direct therapy techniques, and even more so with school-age children” said Barry Guitar, Ph.D., of University of Vermont.

“Any time parents are concerned about a child’s fluency,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation, “they should educate themselves about the disorder and the many ways they can work to prevent stuttering from becoming a chronic problem.”

The book, If Your Child Stutters: Questions and Answers, answers questions that parents and teachers often have. Written by leading experts, it describes the difference between normal disfluencies and stuttering and gives tips for parents of ways to help their child immediately.

Books and DVDs produced by the 67-year-old nonprofit Stuttering Foundation are available free to any public library. The Foundation has provided free materials to 8,700 public libraries nationwide. A library that will shelve them can e-mail info@stutteringhelp.org, or download a request form at http://www.stutteringhelp.org/libraries-information.