A Stuttering, which affects about 5 per cent of the youngsters, is best treated at the pre-school stage. It usually begins when a child is 3-4 years old. Boys are three times more likely to suffer from the problem.

I am no medico, but I do know that stuttering can be a frustrating and often misunderstood disability. The strange thing about it is that sometimes a person can be perfectly fluent one day, and be very disfluent the next. Doctors are now saying that it is caused by a neurological reason, not because we're nervous, or scared. Slowing down and thinking before we talk doesn’t always help.

However, the good news is that scientists at the University of Sydney, Australia, have recently developed and evaluated an early intervention called the Lidcombe programme (named after a suburb in Sydney), to treat the problem. This behavioural programme is administered by the parent with guidance from a speech pathologist. The result can be measured on a 10-point scale. Once the stuttering has disappeared or vastly diminished, the second stage of the programme which is aimed at maintaining the improvement for a year begins.

Do consult a good speech therapist anyway.