Support
Stammering
The British Stammering Association
15 Old Ford Road
London E2 9PJ
020 8983 1003
020 8983 3591 fax
0845 6032001 helpline
http://www.stammering.org
Some information:
- 5% of children under five will experience dysfluent speech while learning to talk; about a third of these will not simply ‘grow out of it’.
- Early intervention by a speech and language therapist can prevent persistent stammering.
- Onset is commonly between two and five years - the average is 32 months.
- Stammering in young children is both fluctuating and episodic.
It varies in severity, according to the situation (for example with whom the child is talking, what they want to say, and how they are feeling).
A child may be fluent for days, weeks or months, and then become dysfluent again for a further period. Periodic dysfluency is a feature of early stammering
- Because stammering in young children is episodic and fluctuating, you may not observe stammering during a child’s visit. Therefore, you need to take note of parents’ concerns about their child’s speech.
Facts
- Stammering is a communication difficulty, not just a speech problem - it can undermine a child’s confidence as well as affect social, educational and employment potentials. Boys are four times more likely to stammer than girls.
- The exact cause of stammering is not yet known. It is likely that a combination of factors is involved.
- There is a fine balance between what a child is able to do at a particular moment and what people or situations demand of him. Anything affecting this balance can increase dysfluency.
- Modern approaches to stammering therapy are very effective in significantly reducing dysfluency in a young child’s speech
- Research has shown that intervention close to the onset of stammering has a high success rate. Early referral and intervention reduces the need for prolonged and costly therapy later in the child’s life
- By working together, speech and language therapists and primary healthcare professionals can move towards ensuring that all dysfluent children have the help they need to develop normally fluent speech.
- You can make a referral directly to your local speech and language therapy department.
When to refer
The following factors have been shown to be characteristic of those children at greater risk of developing a persistent stammer.
If you observe a child who has dysfluent speech, or if a parent reports hearing this, and one or more of the following factors are present, then an immediate referral to a speech and language therapist should be made:
- a family history of stammering or speech or language problems
- the child is finding learning to talk difficult in any way
- the child shows signs of being frustrated or in any way upset by his speaking
- the child is struggling when talking
- the child is in a dual language situation and is stammering in his first language
- parental concern or uneasiness
- the child’s general behaviour is causing concern
Westminster NHS Primary Care Trust
Child Development Service Speech and Language Therapists are based at:
The Medical Centre
7E Woodfield Road
London W9 3XZ
Tel: 020 7266 8835