Stuttering Treatment for Children and Teens
Our speech pathology services
Effective approaches to childhood stuttering
Stuttering is complex and can change over the course of a person’s life. Because stuttering in childhood can be common – according to The Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY): more than 1 in every 10 Australian preschool children stutter – sometimes parents or carers can put off getting an assessment.
Pre-school age children may sometimes grow out of stuttering without intervention, but by the school years the likelihood of recovering from stuttering starts to decrease, whether that’s naturally or with therapy. That’s why we strongly recommend getting an assessment and starting therapy as early as possible. It’s important to take action because, with speech therapy, stuttering can be addressed and effectively treated.
Treatment for stuttering is fun, simple, effective and it works. While the best results are achieved with pre-school children, there are also effective strategies backed by research for older children, including teens.
What is stuttering and what causes it?
Stuttering is an interruption in the flow of speech. It can include:
- Repeating sounds, words, syllables or phrases
- Pauses with no sound when trying to speak
- Getting ‘stuck’ on a sound or prolonging a sound
- Body movements such as grimacing or blinking.
The causes of stuttering are unknown. It may start suddenly or gradually, but is not an emotional disorder or caused by trauma or anxiety. It is a physical condition, that sometimes has a genetic link.
There’s no link between things like shyness, anxiety or sensitivity and stuttering – but stuttering can impact a child’s confidence or cause social anxiety, which is why getting treatment is so important. There’s also no connection between stuttering and intelligence.
Get your child help for stuttering
Don’t “wait and see”
Would your child benefit from Speech Therapy?
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