Stuttering

Most people will be aware of stuttering thanks to films such as The King’s Speech and Australian media personalities like Megan Washington and Harrison Craig. However, the majority of us are unaware of how stuttering works and how we should respond when someone stutters.

Stuttering is a speech disorder which impacts the flow and smoothness of speech. Stumbling or stuttering over words occasionally is normal for most people. However, concerns arise when stuttering behaviours become frequent, affecting how well others can understand them in turn affecting their confidence. People do not stutter because they are anxious or nervous, however, anxiety can make stuttering worse. Scientific researchers are yet to pinpoint a specific cause of stuttering however it is generally accepted to be of neurological origin^[1].

• Stuttering typically emerges during the preschool years between 2 to 5 years of age, either suddenly (e.g. overnight) or gradually^[2].
• 8.5% of children develop stuttering by the age of 3^[2].
• Around 5% of children are likely to recover naturally from stuttering^[3]. This means the remaining children will continue to have a stutter unless they receive professional help from speech pathology.
• Speech pathologists cannot predict which children will naturally recover.

Stuttering behaviours are divided into 3 categories:

1. Repetitions: repetitions of sounds (e.g. bbb beach), repetitions of syllables (e.g. ha ha ha happy) or repetitions of words (e.g. but but but but what about)
2. Blocks: when you cannot get your words out (e.g. c…..an)
3. Prolongations: when the beginnings of words are elongated (e.g. ssssssstop)

Stuttering can cause or include other behaviours: this can include facial grimaces, tics, frowns etc.

Children with stuttering can experience negative reactions from their peers such as being interrupted, teased or ignored. Children who undergo speech therapy during the preschool years have a 7.7 times greater chance of not stuttering compared to those who wait and see if it goes away naturally^[4]. Stuttering becomes more difficult to treat from the school years into adulthood. Ongoing difficulties with stuttering can lead to significant educational, occupational, and psychological consequences. People who have a stutter and are impacted by a mental health disorder (e.g. Social Anxiety Disorder) are more likely to relapse following stuttering treatment if they are not receiving treatment for their mental health disorder.

It is important to seek help from a speech pathologist as soon as you notice your child is stuttering. If your child feels self-conscious or upset about their stuttering it can be beneficial to their mental health to seek to correct the stutter through therapy.

Please reach out to us if:

• Stuttering is impacting your ability to socialise with others or form friendships.
• Stuttering is impacting your ability to perform your job, especially if your job involves a lot of talking (e.g. teacher, actor).
• You feel self-conscious or anxious about your stuttering.
• Stuttering is impacting your mental health and wellbeing.  

1. Your Speech Pathologist will have a discussion with you to clarify your concerns and gather other relevant background information.
2. Your Speech pathologist will perform formal and informal assessment tasks to determine the type and severity of the stuttering.
3. Your Speech Pathologist may refer you/your child to a clinical psychologist if she identifies mental health issues that are exacerbating the stuttering.

• For preschoolers, our Speech Pathologists deliver the Lidcombe Program. This is a parent training program and has two stages.
• Currently, there is a lack of research evidence for school-age stuttering treatments. Our Speech Pathologists use the Lidcombe Program for school-aged children if deemed appropriate. Alternatively, they use a program called Syllable Timed Speech.
• For adolescents and adults, our Speech Pathologists deliver the Camperdown Program. This is a speech restructuring program and has four stages.