Children's Speech and Language Therapy

Tel: 0161 426 5200Fax: 0161 426 5232

Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service8th Floor, Regent House

Heaton LaneStockportSK4 1BS

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS/CARERS OF CHILDREN WHO STAMMER (Dysfluent)

Facts about Stammering:

1. There is no one cause of stammering. Many factors may affect your child’s fluencyand therefore, there are many different approaches used to help your child.

2. Stammering usually occurs between the ages of 2 and 5 years.Approximately 5% of children stammer at some time. The majority will overcome the difficulty with therapy. Boys are more vulnerable than girls (for this reason we have used ‘he’ for clarity).

3. Your child’s stammering may come and go - this is a typical pattern.4. A child whose language development is delayed or very advanced is more vulnerable.

Factors Affecting Fluency:

Your child’s fluency may change according to:1. The situation your child is in2. The person your child is talking to3. What your child wants to say4. How your child is feeling

What Does Stammering Sound Like:

Speech requires complex brain coordination:a) Knowing what we want to sayb) Finding the right wordc) Knowing the right sounds and right orderd) Proper breath controle) Bringing all these together

Just as a child who is learning to walk stumbles at first, children can stumble over words when learning to talk. Your child may:

Repeat the first sound of a word e.g. m-m-m-mummy Repeat the first part of the word e.g. mum-mum-mummy Repeat the first word e.g. can can can can I have a drink

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Pause and hesitate and use lots of “um’s” and “er’s” Stretch the sounds in words e.g. wwwwwhere are we going? Sometimes struggle to get any sound out

You can help your child by:

Waiting and listening.

Looking at your child when he is talking and where possible get down to his level to show that you are interested in what he is saying

Giving him your full attention. If you are busy and cannot stop, let him know you are still listening

Slowing down your own rate of speech to help him feel less rushed. This is much more helpful than advising your child to “slow down”

Keep calm and focus on what your child is saying and not how it is said

Letting him finish what he has to say. Avoid interrupting him once he has started. You may need to let your child interrupt you if he has something to tell you

Reducing competition to speak by encouraging turn taking and good listening within the family

Asking less questions e.g. ‘what did you do at nursery/school today?’ Try to comment instead –‘I bet you have had a fun day at nursery’. Let your child choose when to tell you things

Making less demands on speech: particularly avoid sentences like “ Say goodbye” or “ Tell daddy what happened today”

Using the same sort of sentences that your child does: keep them short and simple

Avoiding correction of any pronunciation or grammatical errors, just say the word accurately back to them. Don’t ask your child to then say it.

Being aware that tiredness and excitement may cause an increase in stammering

Ensuring other family members or carers that your child is in contact with are aware of the above strategies

It is recommended that you:

Spend 5-10 minutes, at least 4 times a week playing and talking with your child on a 1:1 with no distractions. Let your child take the lead and calmly just comment on what he is doing.

Do not expect changes in your child’s speech straight away, but practising these suggestions can help your child talk more easily.

For further advice please contact a Speech and Language Therapist:

Rachel Pagnam / Catrina Dawson / Celia Parlett / Jennifer Roche

Speech and Language Therapy Dysfluency TeamTel: 0161- 426-5200/5201

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