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What is stuttering?

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Stuttering is something that affects the fluency or flow of speech. It usually begins

during childhood and can continue right through a person’s life. It is characterized

by specific types of disruptions or disfluencies in the production of speech sounds

that occur regularly and impact on communication. 

 

                                                                               

What are the common features of stuttering?

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• Repetitions of sounds, parts of words and whole words (e.g. “wha…wha… what are you….you….you d..d…d…..d..doing”).

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• Prolongations or stretching of speech sounds (e.g. “whaaaaaaat are you doing”).

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• Blocking or struggling to get words out. This is when the mouth is positioned to say a sound, sometimes for several seconds, before the sound is said. After some effort the person may complete the word.

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• Interjections, such as “um” or “like” can occur particularly when they contain repeated (“um- um- um”) or prolonged (“uuuum”) speech sounds. They are also used intentionally to delay the initiation of a word the speaker expects to “get stuck on”.

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• Unusual pausing for extended periods of time.

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• ​“Secondary” physical signs, such as blinking, leg slapping and facial movements when they are trying to get out a word.

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How can I tell if my child is having problems with stuttering?

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• Show frustration because they can’t get their words out or effortful speech.

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• Seem to get stuck on words a lot of the time.

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• Repeat sounds, syllables or phrases regularly in their speech.

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• Have lots of stops and starts in speech (e.g. there is a lack of “flow”) and their speech is difficult to follow and understand.

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• Avoids certain words and/or phrases because they might have difficulty saying them or they get stuck on those words.

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• Avoids talking because they are having difficulty communicating fluently with others.

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• Shows secondary behaviors like foot tapping, blinking or their slapping leg when trying to get a word out.

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• Say ‘um’, ‘er’ or ‘ah’ a lot whilst thinking about what they want to say.

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• Regularly rephrase sentences whilst talking.

 

What type of therapy is recommended for children with stuttering behaviors?

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Diagnosis alone is NOT the solution. It simply opens the door to getting the help that is needed by arming all involved with the relevant information. 

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If your child has dysfluency, it is recommended that you consult a Speech Language Pathologist to receive an evaluation to see if they require therapeutic intervention. 

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