Price Charles hosted the event at Clarence House today following the funding pledged by Ed Balls’ department of £1m in total to the national fundraising initiative aiming to develop services across the country for young people with the speech difficulties. The launch also heard that the Prince of Wales had agreed to act as patron for the fundraising appeal for the Michael Palin centre.
The appeal which has been launched by the Association into Stammering in Childhood (ARSC) and jointly established the Palin Centre in Islington.
Ed Balls has battled with a stammer throughout his life. He told Sky news: “It’s something I have always had, it’s something I have had to deal with again when I became a politician making speeches and going on TV. I learned that talking about it and dealing with it an early stage is vital. It is possible to do a job like mine if you start by talking about it.”
Michael Palin – Parton of the Michael Palin centre, supports the project following his father experience of a severe stammer, which Michael recalls throughout his childhood. The centre aims to give every child the possibility of access to specialist help and now there are plans which include providing a new centre in the north of England.
He commented to Sky news: “The new centre of excellence in West Yorkshire will mean more accessible support for thousands more children across the country.
“That’s why I am delighted we are contributing to the new centre, expanding services and increasing training of speech and language therapists.”
The Palin Centre was founded in 1993 and the comic actor and travel presenter agreed to the institution being named after him following his role as a stammering character called Ken in the hit movie A Fish Called Wanda.
The celebrity’s performance was based on his own father who suffered from the speech problem all his life.
Stammering seems to have been the rather poor child of charities but it’s more of a problem nowadays than it’s ever been because we live in such a fast-moving world. If you are left behind people tend to think you are stupid and not up to the mark.’
I.T.S have noticed an increase in enquiries, during the current financial climate. Added pressures through employment have led to a number of male and female adults contact us for support. It is not uncommon, that environmental pressures can bring on a stammer or equally make a previous stammer come to the service more readily. To seek support red about our adult services
Equally we have been contacted by many families concerned about their young toddlers dysfluent speech. ‘Normal non fluency’ is a very typical phase of childhood, however parents may start to notice that their child;
- Blocks words and almost appear to be going red in the face
- Repeats the first word of parts of words as if struggling to say
- Develops a ‘tick’ associated to them having difficulties – winking their eye, coughing, jerking their body
- Avoids words – and replaces the word they were going to say with another
If any of the above signs are noted please do make contact and we can discuss your child in more detail.
There are many approaches which speech and language therapists may use to support both adults and children who stammer;
The Lidcombe programme
Personal Construct Psychology
Brief Therapy
Cognitive Therapy
Parent – child interaction therapy
The McGuire Programme
All of which have some every successful results.
Norbert Lieckfeldt, chief executive of the British Stammering Association, said: ‘It is true that Ed Balls has personal experience of stammering in his youth and this allows him to speak to teenagers and young people who stammer with authenticity.
‘But, if anything, I believe it has strengthened his conviction that every child with speech, language and communication needs, whether they stammer or have other needs, needs extra help and support if they are to thrive and succeed at school.
‘In my almost 20 years of working in this field, I have never seen this level of support for all children with speech, language and communication needs from any previous government, of any political colour.’
Read more about today’s launch:
Read more: on the Daily Mail’s website
For HELP WITH STAMMERING:
Association for Research into Stammering in Childhood (ARSC)
The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children
Pine Street
London
EC1R OLP
Tel: 020 7530 4238 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
Website: www.stammeringcentre.org
ARSC is committed to funding scientific research into the complex causes of stammering in, and the most effective treatments for, children and young adults. The charity is based at The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, a national specialist centre founded in 1993. Their website contains useful questions and answers, an outline of different therapy options, and advice and articles specifically tailored for children, teenagers, parents, teachers and friends.
Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice
Coleheath Bottom
Speen
Princes Risborough
HP27 0SZ
Tel: 01494 488306 (answerphone service)
E-mail: asltip@awdry.demon.co.uk
Website: www.asltip.co.uk
The official body for private speech and language therapists in the UK. The site provides details of training, news and recent developments in the field and advice on running a practice. Members of the public can search the association’s database for a therapist or leave a message on the answerphone and details of the therapy they are interested in will be sent to them.
British Stammering Association
15 Old Ford Road
London E2 9PJ
Helpline: 0845 603 2001 (see website for opening hours)
Tel: 020 8983 1003 (office)
E-mail: info@stammering.org
Website: www.stammering.org
BSA runs a confidential helpline offering callers the opportunity to ask, talk about and explore any issues of concern in the context of stammering. The staff on the switchboard are selected because they appreciate the difficulties of talking and stammering on the telephone. The website and helpline also distribute free information packs for parents of children in all key stages of education, as well as teenagers, young adults and adults who stammer. The association also provides support and advice to speech and language therapists and teachers. The website has a separate section for people who live in Scotland.
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)
2 White Hart Yard
London
SE1 1NX
Tel: 020 7378 1200 (switchboard)
Tel: 020 7378 3012 (general information)
E-mail: info@rcslt.org
Website: www.rcslt.org
The professional body of speech and language therapists in the UK and Ireland. Concerned with all types of communication problems including delayed language, stammering, aphasia, and voice problems. Works to improve understanding of all aspects of communication impairment. Produces leaflets, runs an information service and can provide parents with details of speech and language therapists.
Websites which may prove useful:
Acting Up
http://westmidlands.ideasfactory.com/ ..
Article from Channel 4’s IDEASFACTORY site in which Faisal Mahmood talks about how he overcame his stammer to pursue a career in acting.
Discrimination against people who stammer in the UK
www.stammeringlaw.org.uk
This site looks at how the UK’s Disability Discrimination Act 1995 applies to people who stammer and also deals with social security benefits.
Chosing a private therapist – www.stammering.org/privatetherapist.html.
Online article from the British Stammering Association giving advice about choosing a private speech and language therapist.
Speech and Language Therapy What Can I Expect?www.stammering.org/slt_what_can_I_expect.html
Online article from the British Stammering Association looking at what a parent can expect from speech and language therapy.
The Stammer Trust
www.stammertrust.co.uk
This Oxford-based charity describes the work of The Apple House speech therapy centre and its pioneering work in teaching people to cope with their speech impediment.
The Starfish Project
www.starfishproject.co.uk
Non profit-making organisation which runs intensive courses in East Sussex for people who stammer and provides lifetime support thereafter.
The Stuttering Homepage
www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/stutter.html
Website from Minnesota State University in the US with dozens of articles about stammering, including approaches to speech therapy, a list of famous stutterers from history, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Darwin and Rowan Atkinson, and an online chatroom.
Talking Point
www.talkingpoint.org.uk
Website with information about speech, language and communication difficulties in children, aimed at both parents and professionals.
Sarah Needham
Director of I.T.S – March 2010
