Response to the Letters by Chang and Bernstein Ratner.

PURPOSE: In our original article, we draw attention to the lifetime quality-of-life impairment that can result from childhood stuttering-hence, the need for immediate intervention after onset. We drew on existing experimental outcomes that parent speech-rate reduction and increased interturn speaker latency may reduce stuttering. We developed a two-factor treatment protocol based on those variables in combination and showed its clinical viability, suggesting that it would be a suitable target for Phase I-IV clinical trials. Chang and Bernstein Ratner wrote letters to the editor on our article, to which we respond.

CONCLUSIONS: Our response to these letters to the editor covers the following issues raised by Chang and Bernstein Ratner: mechanisms of action for the proposed treatment, the evidence base for the treatment, plans to explore its treatment effects, and the need to verify its safety.