Abstract
We examined the effects of early speech intervention for stuttering in 57 children after speech training for more than 3 months. The average age of the onset of stuttering was 3 years and 3 months, while that of the first visit for medical consultation was 5 year and 1 month. In addition to improvement of communication environments at home, we trained stuttering children using direct speech methods. Indeed, we started speech training for 46% of children within a year after the onset of stuttering. As a result, only 11% of stuttering children were cured. In addition, the minimum grade of stuttering was achieved in 88% of the 25 children in whom the very early intervention was started within 1 year after the onset of stuttering, in 75% of the 11 children with an intervention within 1–2 years after the onset of stuttering, 55% of 10 children with the standard intervention of 2–4 years after the onset, and 14% of 7 children with a intervention after more than 4 years after the onset. It was suggested that the earlier the speech training started, the better the outcome achieved.
