Stuttering is a disabling condition that can have adverse effects on a child's life in school, and on young adults' occupational choice. Many children experience disruptions to their fluency in their preschool years. However, research has not been able to predict which children are likely to go on to be fluent and which children will go on to stuttering.

Using a study with large numbers, a wealth of data about children's development and unique speech data provides an opportunity to investigate this question. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children recruited 14000 mothers during their pregnancy. The children were born in 1991/2 and the study has followed them as they have grown up, with questionnaires and assessments. Samples of the children's speech will be analysed to establish which children show stuttered speech. The study will then investigate developmental histories, educational successes and social behaviours to compare children who outgrow their stuttering with those who do not. Identifying which factor predict recovery can inform how therapists select which children need early intervention and also shape the development of therapy approaches and techniques that are needed to help prevent stuttering and its adverse effects.