There is also evidence that stuttering may be associated with some neurological deficits but there is also a strong psychological component. People with significant speech difficulty often don't stutter when singing, talking to animals, or reading to small children, or when they are alone talking to themself. Stuttering tends to persist into adulthood more in males than females. No testing is usually necessary. There are no absolute therapies for stuttering.
Most early cases are short term.
In persistent cases, speech therapy may help somewhat although stuttering tends to be very resistant to any therapies. Some people who stutter find that when they read aloud or sing they do not stutter. It can be helpful for the child's self esteem to practice reading aloud or singing. In the majority of children who develop stuttering, the phase is only transient and their speech returns to normal. Obvious increases in speech difficulty may lead to persistence of stuttering into adulthood.