Study seeks link between stuttering and sleep behaviour in children

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel suspect there is a link between stuttering and the quality and quantity of sleep in children aged four to 13. Previous research has shown that sleep problems can cause drowsiness, fatigue attention disorders, anxiety and depression symptoms and, the VUB researchers believe, the intensity of stutters. "Children often show 'unfluency' in their speech around the age of two to five," says VUB sleep expert Professor Olivier Mairesse. "After that, around age seven, the problem resolves itself for about 75% of children. For some, it may persist into adulthood. We are mainly interested in the experience of parents of primary school children regarding sleep, wakefulness and stuttering behaviour. Through network analysis, an innovative method that allows us to uncover complex relationships between symptoms, we are looking at what other symptoms occur with the issue and how they may affect each other." The idea of linking sleep and stuttering comes partly from earlier experiments, in which adolescents who stutter were given hypnotic medication to see if the intensity could be reduced.