There are many reasons why children’s fluency of speech is disrupted. There is a general misunderstanding about stammering and what causes it. This can result in unhelpful attitudes towards stammering and then using inappropriate behaviours to try to ‘fix’ it. This can cause parents and carers of children who stammer to feel a wealth of emotions ranging from guilt to anxiety.
This information has been created to increase awareness about stammering and to give parents and carers the support they need to enable their children to speak comfortably and spontaneously without shame or embarrassment.
Stammering is a different way of talking that changes speech fluency e.g. when parts of words or sounds get stuck. The word stuttering means exactly the same as stammering.
You may notice your child...
You may hear or see some or all of these. Your child may or may not be aware of their stammer.
Talking is a complicated process. Many different systems in the brain have to work together at once, translating thoughts and emotions to speech and activating over a hundred muscles for speaking. This requires intricate timing, which for 5% of children is ‘disturbed’ resulting in a stammer.
As children learn to speak more complicated sentences they have to grow and fine tune the connections between these brain systems before speech becomes easy and automatic (like learning to ride a bike). For 80% of them the temporary timing problem resolves over time and the stammering stops. For others their stammer will carry on into adulthood.
It is important to understand that children who stammer cannot help it. While they have the ‘timing disturbance’, stammering will be the way they talk sometimes. Therefore, it is not helpful to try to stop a child stammering or to ‘fix’ how they say words by telling the child to slow down or to repeat the word.
However, you can make their speaking environment more comfortable and help prevent responses impacting on your child’s well-being and participation in talking by making small changes in the speaking and listening environment at home, nursery or school.
- Approximately 5% of children go through a period of stammering when they are learning to talk.
- Stammering can start at any childhood stage, but most commonly begins between the ages of two and five years, which is a time of rapid language development.
- More boys are affected than girls.
- There is a genetic link for some people.
- Children may stammer more when their emotions are provoked e.g. they are upset or excited, or when they are tired or poorly.
- Stammering may come and go.
- Stammering does not affect a child’s ability to learn languages or their natural ability to learn generally.
- Stammering affects children in different ways depending on the situation, the person they are talking to, how they feel about themselves or their speech, or what they want to say.
- Talking about stammering openly with children who are aware of it, will make talking easier for them and you. It will not contribute to a stammer continuing.
- It is not helpful to ignore stammering if a child is aware of it.
- Most importantly accept your child will stammer sometimes.
- Show your child you are listening by getting down to their level and making eye contact with them.
- Give your child time to finish speaking and try not to interrupt them or finish their sentences.
- Slow down your own talking and use lots of pauses. This will make your child feel less rushed and can be more helpful than telling your child to slow down or start again.
- Acknowledge your child’s feelings if your child seems upset about their stammer e.g. calmly say, ‘I can see you are upset,’ and remind them or show them you are listening.
- If your child gives up speaking be open about the stammer e.g. say, slowly, ‘That was a tricky word. It got a bit stuck.’
- Focus on what your child does well e.g. ‘You’re so helpful tidying up. Well done!’ or, ‘You used a brilliant word to describe…’
- Tell other people what you have learnt about stammering and what helps.
Please note, the decision to refer isn’t about the frequency of stammering. It is all about whether the stammer is currently having an impact on their wellbeing.
Please refer to Locala Speech & Language Therapy if any of the following apply:
• The child or young person, or their parent, is feeling worried about their stammering.
• The child/young person is experiencing stress, distress, tension, or struggle when talking.
• The child or young person is giving up on speaking, talking less, or avoiding words or speaking situations.
• The child/young person is feeling negative about themselves or their speech. Feelings might include frustration, anger, shame, embarrassment, anxiety, or sadness.
• The child/young person has experienced teasing or bullying regarding their stammer.
• The parent/carer or child’s teacher wants to find out more about stammering and how best to support a child/young person who stammers.
• The child/young person is exhibiting signs of covert, or ‘hidden’ stammering. Sometimes children who feel embarrassed about their stammer go to great lengths to hide it. This is called hidden, or ‘covert’ stammering. These children might not stammer openly very often but might instead present in the following ways:
• Very frequent use of extra ‘starters’ or ‘fillers’ with in their speech such as ‘erm’ ‘so’ ‘well’, ‘like’, when they feel a word is going to get stuck.
• Pretending they have forgotten what they wanted to say.
• Changing the topic.
• Avoiding speaking situations.
• Switching the word they wanted to say for another word that feels easier to say (known as word switching).
• Not putting their hand up to ask or answer questions in class.
• Appearing to be very shy or quiet.
• Becoming disruptive when they are asked to speak in class.
To access more support, we would advise you to attend one of our drop-in sessions.
If for any reason you are unable to attend a drop-in session you can telephone on 0300 304 5555 and one of our Therapy Team colleagues will give you a ring back.
- The British Stammering Association
This gives detailed guidance on getting the best support for their child during preschool and school years.
The Assocation also have a Website for early years’ workers: www.stammering.org/earlyyears
It offers information about stammering, with simple strategies that may be used in the Early Years setting to support children who stammer and thereby include them in all the activities of the setting.
- ‘7 Tips for Talking with the Child Who Stutters’
A group of speech and language experts talk about how to create a more comfortable speaking environment with young children who stammer. They offer simple, easy-to-do tips that parents can begin to use immediately.
