Developmental stuttering with common and complex phenotypes.
Sarah E Horton, Daisy A Shepherd, Stephanie Siemers and 4 others
PMID 41725598WHAT IT FOUND
Most people who stutter present with a common phenotype.
A distinct 10% subgroup has a complex presentation marked by severe stuttering, high rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, lower non-verbal intelligence, and greater negative impact. This group requires multidisciplinary support.
Key findings
01A latent class analysis divided participants into two groups: 90% with a common presentation and 10% with a complex presentation.
02The complex group had significantly higher odds of moderate-to-severe stuttering, more negative impact on quality of life, and lower non-verbal intelligence compared to the common group.
03Neurodevelopmental disorders were substantially more frequent in the complex group (84%) than in the common group (13%), and all participants with severe or persistent developmental delays were assigned to the complex group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was heavily skewed toward older adults, with only 14% aged 5-24 years and 40% aged 65 or older. This age distribution may have influenced the classification of groups, as the 'complex' group was significantly younger. Health conditions and developmental history were largely self-reported or caregiver-reported, which introduces recall bias, particularly in older adults who may lack early developmental records. The study excluded cases of acquired stuttering, so the findings apply only to developmental stuttering. Videoconference assessment was used for speech evaluation. While reliable, it may have missed subtle speech features that an in-person assessment would detect.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Centre for Research Excellence in Speech and Language Neurobiology.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all people who stutter have similar clinical profiles. This study shows that a small subgroup (10%) has a distinct 'complex' presentation with significantly higher rates of neurodevelopmental disorders and lower non-verbal intelligence. Treating this group as having the same prognosis or support needs as the 'common' group (90%) may lead to inadequate care.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →