“My 4 year old son has started stammering, I have referred him to the NHS speech and language therapist but there is a waiting list. What can I do to help my child’s stammering at home whilst we are waiting?”

What is stammering?

Developmental stammering – or stuttering- is the most common type of stammering. It develops during childhood as a child is first learning how to speak.

Some children aged between two and six years develop non-fluent speech. In many cases, this can last up to six months before the speech improves and returns to normal. However, for other children these difficulties do not resolve on their own.

Key symptoms of a stammer include:

•  The repetition of sounds or syllables e.g cu-cu- cup
•  Prolonging sounds e.g ccccccup
• Pausing or ‘blocking’ this is when a word gets stuck or doesn’t come out at all.
• Using a lot of’ filler’ words during speech, such as ‘um’, ‘ah’ and ‘you know’

It is important to remember that the severity of the stammer can vary. A child might find that they have periods of stammering followed by times when they speak relatively fluently.

Will my child’s stammer improve on its own?

Early referral is key; a speech and language therapist is trained to identify children whose stammers are likely to resolve naturally and which children need therapy. One in four children will need therapy to stop a persistent stammer developing. However, early intervention and treatment is highly successful in resolving stammers in pre-school age children.

Top tips for helping a child’s stammer

1. Give your child time to finish and do not interrupt. By keeping good eye contact, nodding and giving your child the time to speak, this shows your child that you are more interested in what they say rather than how they say it.
2. Reduce the number of questions you ask your child. Children speak more freely if they are expressing their own ideas rather than answering a question. Instead of asking questions, simply comment on what your child has said, thereby acknowledging you have heard him.
3. Listen to your child. Children, especially those who stutter, find it much easier to talk when there are few interruptions and they have the listeners’ attention.
4. Set aside 5 minutes a day when you can give your undivided attention to your child. During this time, let the child choose what he would like to do. Follow his lead in the activities and let him decide for himself whether to talk or not. By knowing that a parent wants to spend time with them can help boost the child’s confidence.
5. Adapt your own speech. When you talk to your child use slow, calm, and relaxed speech, with plenty of pauses. By waiting a few seconds after your child finishes speaking before you begin to speak, you are demonstrating to your child that there is no need to rush.

How Integrated Treatment Services can help

We understand that waiting for an appointment can be a frustrating and anxious time. Here at Integrated Treatment Services (I.T.S) we have no waiting lists and pride ourselves on being able to offer flexible appointments at a date and time to suit our clients.

A therapist at Integrated Treatment Services (I.T.S) is available throughout the week to give more top tips on supporting your child’s stammer at home, answering any questions you may have. We are happy to speak with you over the telephone on: 0845 838 2921 or by email info@integratedtreatments.co.uk.

If you have found this article helpful and have more questions then you can contact us with ideas for topics you would like us to cover in future blogs by simply clicking ‘Ask us a Question’.

Alexandra Tolley

Speech and Language Therapist