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05/01/2008

A new book, "If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents," now is available at Lithgow Public Library in Augusta, Winslow Public Library in Winslow, Oakland Public Library in Oakland and Underwood Memorial Library in Fayette.

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 arouse the child's awareness and cause more stuttering," said Ehud Yairi, speech language pathologist and researcher at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and Tel-Aviv University.

New research on stuttering reveals that all children may be aware of the differences between fluent speech and stuttering as early as age 3, and that they often display a social preference for fluent-speaking children by the time they are 4.

The study by Yairi was published in the April issue of the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research.

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

The book, also available in Spanish, answers questions that parents and teachers often have about stuttering.

Written by leading experts, it describes the difference between normal speech patterns and stuttering and gives tips for parents to help their child immediately.

For a copy, parents, teachers and others may contact the Stuttering Foundation of America, P.O. Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111-0749; (800) 992-9392; e-mail info@stutteringhelp.org; or visit www.stut teringhelp.org.

The 60-year-old nonprofit foundation also offers many books, videotapes and DVDs on stuttering.

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