Researchers:              Sue Roulstone, Rosemarie Hayhow, Alan Emond, Jean Golding

Source of funding:       BUPA Foundation Grant

Start and end dates:    April 2006 - October 2007 - Extended as work on this project relates to the MRC project.

The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of stuttering in children and to profile factors which are associated with persistent stuttering within a large cohort of children in the old county of Avon.  Estimates of prevalence will be generated using parent reports and speech sample data.  Using this very large data set, the study will build up profiles of the children who stutter in comparison with their non-stuttering peers, in particular focusing on children who are still stuttering at 8 years of age and produce the first British-based population study of children who stutter.  The study will also compare children who showed early signs of stuttering but who are no longer stuttering by the age of 8 years.  The profiles will include speech and language skills, cognitive, motor, educational and social skills.  Analyses will also consider family history and access to intervention.