Stuttering Treatment in Children & Adults

Stuttering may present as one or more of the following:

• Repetitions of sounds (c-c-c-cat)

• Repetition of words (but-but-but-but I don’t want to)

• Repetition of phrases (will you – will you – will you – will you come with me?)

• Prolongations or stretching of words or sounds (ssssssssoldier)

• Silent blocks (tension and difficulty getting a word out) – pushing really hard to say a word but nothing comes out

• Unusual facial movements, eye blinks, body or hand movements while talking

• Excessive adding of extra words (um, ah, like, you see)

• Any form of struggling behaviour associated with speech

Stuttering is a disorder that can have a great impact upon a person’s life. A child who stutters may become anxious and self-conscious about speaking, and choose to avoid communicating in certain situations rather than risk a possible event of stuttering. This can put great limitations on the child and their ability to interact with people.

Stuttering may become harder to treat with age, so it is important to start therapy as soon as possible. Stuttering often begins between the ages of 2 and 5 and early treatment is always best. Don’t wait for your child to ‘grow out of it’ – seek advice from a speech pathologist as soon as possible.