Stuttering, also referred to as stammering, is a communication disorder defined as the disruption in the flow of speaking due to disfluencies in speech (ASHA, 2019). This can look like an individual becoming “stuck” on words or phrases when communicating with others. A speech pathologist is often engaged to support an adult or child’s stuttering journey.
Understanding Stuttering
Around 1% of the population has a stutter. In this section, we’ll look at what a stutter sounds like, and tackle common questions like: Can “speech therapists actually diagnose stuttering?” And “what are the signs of stuttering parents should keep an eye on?”
What Are The Types Of Stuttering?
Stuttering behaviours can be broken down into four sub categories:
Repetitions: This includes single sounds or parts of a word (c..c..can I?), complete words (e.g. can can can I?) or multiple words at a time (e.g. can I can I can I?).
Blocks or prolongations: Prolongations involve prolonging a sound (vowel or consonant) in a word (e.g. ssssound, souuuund), blocks on the other hand may look like the individual is physically stuck on the word and can look like a pause before the word or phrase is spoken (e.g. ……but).
Verbal behaviours: These may include increased use of filler words (e.g. um, and, uh etc.) however, it is important to note that use of these words is not indicative of a stutter unless to the extent where there is a significant disruption in the individual’s communication.
Non-verbal behaviours: This includes behaviours that do not involve talking, this can include head nodding, hard blinking or facial grimacing. These behaviours can sometimes occur alongside verbal stuttering. (NIDCD, 2017).
Diagnosing a Stutter
Speech pathologists, or speech therapists, are qualified to diagnose a stutter. To reach this diagnosis, they have to be able to identify consistent and disfluencies in an individual’s speech (repetitions, blocks, prolongations etc.).
If you’re a parent wondering whether your child has a stutter, you can look out for signs that your child:
- Is avoiding certain words or speaking in general.
- Has hesitations in speaking, lower confidence or negative feelings around speaking,
- Gets frustrated when communicating with others.
- Shares discomfort with talking e.g. “It’s too hard,” “ I can’t do it”.
It is also common for children to develop their own compensatory strategies to manage their stutter, therefore it is important to look for these signs to ensure a stutter is not missed so the child can receive the right support.
Recognised any of these stuttering signs or noticed something else?
Book a free discovery call to ask a speech therapist for their advice.
Types of Speech Therapy for Stuttering
Stutter affirming therapy is a modern perspective in speech pathology that focuses on other elements of successful communication such as enhancing the confidence, self-esteem, and self-acceptance of individuals who stutter. This acceptance-based strategy has gained more recognition as positive long term outcomes have begun to change the narrative in how we view stuttering therapy (Sisskin, 2022).
Traditional types of speech therapy for stuttering have had the goal to eliminate stuttering, which overlook the personal and emotional aspects of stuttering. For many people, neglecting these factors in a traditional approach may have impacted negatively on their self esteem, self perception and may have even reduced the joy of talking.
Benefits of Affirming Stuttering Intervention in Speech Therapy
A speech therapy session for stuttering that is with a stutter-affirming speech therapist can have both emotional and academic benefits. These include:
Building Confidence
Using a strengths based approach individuals are encouraged to find their communication strengths and to view stuttering as a form of verbal diversity. This essentially views stuttering as a difference in communication as opposed to something that is “wrong” (Stutter Therapy Resources, 2019).
Building Self Advocacy Skills
Teaching skills and scripts for advocating about stuttering, including how to request support, differentiate acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, and describe their stutter to others.
Introspection and Self-Awareness
Helping individuals understand what stuttering feels like physically, socially, and emotionally, rather than just focusing on how it sounds.
Learning Techniques And Strategies To Support Stutter Management
Yes, a stutter affirming approach can still include traditional techniques and strategies to manage stuttering however, this is an addition to stutter affirming therapy and not the whole focus. These strategies can help those who want help to get their words more easily in doing so whilst still providing education on verbal diversity and autonomy in communication.
Achieving Functional And Motivating Goals
As the stutter affirming approach is client-centred, goals that are motivating to the individual are a top priority. This can range from working towards building new relationships, confidence in communication with others and strategies to execute daily tasks.
Some of these may include:
- Making a phone call
- Advocating for themselves in regards to their stuttering
- Speaking with confidence and reducing frustration or anxiety when talking
- Contributing more in class discussions
- Speaking in front of new people or larger groups
- Ordering food in public, in a drive through etc.
- Making new friends and building relationships
How To Find A Stutter Affirming Speech Pathologist
When choosing a stutter affirming speech pathologist it is important to look for red and green flags including the following (Gerlach-Houck, H., & D. Constantino, C., 2022):
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Speech Pathologist Red Flags
- Only measuring progress by if the stutter is eliminated or not.
- Using harmful language e.g. referring to the stutter as “bad”,
- Prioritizing “masking” the stutter whilst not addressing self perception or emotions around stuttering.
- Solely focus on the sound of stuttering.
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Speech Pathologist Green Flags
- Including social, emotional and mental factors in progress measurements including self perception and confidence in communication.
- Using neutral language when referring to stuttering e.g. the stutter is prevalent, the stuttering is increased.
- Teaching skills for child to self advocate around stuttering e.g. introducing and addressing stutter to familiar listeners (e.g. teachers, friends), and unfamiliar listeners (e.g. new people, health professionals)
- Addressing how stuttering feels for the individuals as well as how it sounds.
If you’re searching for a speech pathologist for stuttering, you can ask them questions like:
“What is your approach to stuttering therapy?”
“Do you have a clinical team dedicated to stuttering or fluency intervention?”
You can also check their social media and read their perspective on stuttering and whether they are committed to ongoing training in this clinical area.
Ask us your stuttering questions for free! Pop offers free discovery calls with qualified speech therapists so you can feel confident starting yours or your child’s stuttering speech therapy.
Can Adults Receive Support for Stuttering?
Absolutely! Many adults seek therapy and additional support to help manage their stutter to help them participate in the community and help build relationships with others. Therapy for adults is focused on collaboration and creating functional and practical goals to make an impact on an individual’s life and improve overall quality of life. These goals are often tailored to suit the individual based on their communication in day to day life to ensure their goals are meaningful and impactful.
Unfortunately, it is common for adults to have a negative self perception of their stuttering due to the common perception that stuttering is ‘abnormal’ or ‘wrong’. This may be due to past experiences in speech therapy where a stutter affirming lens was not used.
Part of adult stuttering therapy should also focus on unlearning these biases and focus on an acceptance of stuttering to reduce the negative impact stuttering can have on an individual’s life and self perception (Ladavat, 2021).
Recognising the Signs: When to Seek Speech Therapy for A Stutter
Early intervention is recommended for stuttering to provide families with strategies and guidance for managing stuttering.
Typically 95% of children who stutter will do so before the age of 4 years old, which may occur suddenly or over time (ASHA, 2019).
It is possible for stuttering to stop on its own without therapy which will often happen before the child is approximately 7 years old. However, if stuttering persists past this age it is likely that there will need to be an ongoing management of stuttering.
Common Indicators of Stuttering Challenges
Wondering if your child might be stuttering? Here are some common signs that may suggest difficulties with stuttering:
Physical symptoms
- Repetitions of sounds or words (E.g. l…l…like)
- Prolongations (E.g. liiiiiiike) or blocks (e.g. ……like)
- Nonverbal behaviours (e.g. hard blinking, facial grimacing)
- Using lots of filler words that appear to disrupt the flow of speech (e.g. um, and, uh)
Avoidance of speaking or significantly reducing talking
Frustration or becoming emotional when speaking to others
How Long Does Speech Therapy Take for Stuttering?
There is no “set” time for how long therapy for stuttering takes as it will vary depending on the individual. However, what you can expect is initially regular appointments for a period of time (e.g. 3-6 months) where the child and family are familiarized with strategies to help manage their stutter (if this is a priority), as well as strategies to build confidence and self awareness, grow self esteem and provide the child with education about their stuttering.
As this develops, in collaboration with the family and the speech pathologist, appointments may become less frequent and the speech pathologist will take on more of a check-in role to ensure the child and family is supported but allows an increase in their independence with their stutter management.
Breaks or longer therapy breaks can also be considered depending on clinical recommendations during this time. Eventually the end goal of therapy is the child and family have a positive overview of stuttering and that they have confidence in managing any barriers they may encounter in the future.
Start Your Speech Therapy Journey with Pop Family Today!
Stuttering is not something for any child or adult to feel ashamed of and everyone deserves to feel comfortable and positive about their communication.
With the right support and education it is possible to be confident in yourself and comfortable in your communication, whilst having a stutter!
References:
ASHA (2019). Stuttering, Cluttering, and Fluency. [online] Available at:
https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/fluency-disorders/?srsltid=AfmBOoqDD-9d46TJaR3vgVWWRYPk_OycIXOs_XPrtOsN4aqo0fjBXk5s.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2017, March 6). Stuttering. NIDCD.
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/stuttering
Sisskin, V. (2022). Disfluency-Affirming Therapy for Young People Who Stutter: Unpacking Ableism in the Therapy Room. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 54(1), 1–6.
https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_lshss-22-00015
Gerlach-Houck, H., & D. Constantino, C. (2022). Resisting Ableist Practices in Stuttering Therapy.
https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.ftr2.27052022.ableism-stuttering.22
Stutter Therapy Resources. (2019). Stuttering Therapy Resources. Stuttering Therapy Resources.
https://stutteringtherapyresources.com/pages/stuttering-is-verbal-diversity
Ladavat, A. (2021, May 28). Stuttering is a type of Neurodivergence. Therapist Neurodiversity Collective.
https://therapistndc.org/stuttering-is-a-type-of-neurodivergence/
