Stuttering

 

Does your child have a stutter?

Stuttering causes the speech muscles to trip up and stumble when producing words, which can cause repetitions of sounds and words, prolonged sounds, and sometimes words getting stuck. Children who stutter know what they want to say, but get stuck as they try to say it. This can be very frustrating for your child, and for you as a parent.

Children need to be confident talkers to develop good friendships and interact positively with other children and adults. Research shows us that even preschool children who stutter have negative attitudes towards their talking and can be less confident in social situations.

Early intervention is essential to improve your child’s fluency and to stop the possible long term negative effects on a child’s self-esteem and confidence as a communicator. If a stutter is left untreated, the child is left to practise their stuttering and treatment may be less successful!

What to look out for:

  • Does your child repeat short phrases (e.g. Can I, Can I, Can I), words (e.g. and, and, and) or parts of words (e.g. m-m-mum)?
  • Does your child sometimes lengthen the first sound of words (e.g. mmmmmum)?
  • Does your child look like they’re struggling to get their words out?

Treating stuttering is simple and effective, and treatment principles will be embedded into your daily interactions with your child.