Checklist for Referral

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Physician's Checklist for Referral
	The Child With Normal Disfluencies Age of Onset: 1½ to 7 years of age	The Child With Mild Stuttering Age of Onset: 1½ to 7 years of age	The Child With Severe Stuttering Age of Onset: 1½ to 7 years of age
Speech behavior you may see or hear:	Occasional (not more than once in every 10 sentences), brief, (typical ½ second or shorter) repetitions of sounds, syllables or short words, e.g., li-li-like this.	Frequent (3% or more of speech), long (½ to 1 second) repetitions of sounds, syllables, or short words, e.g., li-li-li-like this. Occasional prolongations of sounds.	Very frequent (10% or more of speech), and often very long (1 second or longer) repetitions of sounds, syllables or short words. Frequent sound prolongations and blockages.
Other behavior you may see or hear:	Occasional pauses, hesitations in speech or fillers such as "uh," "er," or "um," changing of words or thoughts.	Repetitions and prolongations begin to be associated with eyelid closing and blinking, looking to the side, and some physical tension in and around the lips.	Similar to mild stutterers only more frequent and noticeable; some rise in pitch of voice during stuttering. Extra sounds or words used as "starters."
When problems most noticeable:	Tends to come and go when child is: tired, excited, talking about complex/new topics, asking or answering questions or talking to unresponsive listeners.	Tends to come and go in similar situations, but is more often present than absent.	Tends to be present in most speaking situations; far more consistent and non-fluctuating.
Child reaction:	None apparent	Some show little concern, some will be frustrated and embarrassed.	Most are embarrassed and some are also fearful of speaking.
Parent reaction:	None to a great deal	Most concerned, but concern may be minimal.	All have some degree of concern.
Referral decision:	Refer only if parents moderately to overly concerned.	Refer if continues for 6 to 8 weeks or if parental concern justifies it.	Refer as soon as possible.

This chart may be copied and distributed without permission of the publisher provided you acknowledge the Stuttering Foundation of America as the source.

www.stutteringhelp.org
Stuttering Foundation of America
1-800-992-9392

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor has been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter for many years, but probably few people know all of the unique accomplishments of this former hockey great who was born on December 4, 1955, in Levack, Ontario.

Bob Love

Bob Love has dreamt about being a great public speaker since his early days in Bastrop Louisiana, even though, as a young man, he could barely put two words together, let alone speak a full sentence.

In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.