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.