Stuttering in children

Stuttering is a speech disorder. It stops the natural flow of speech and can make it hard to talk.

Children who stutter know what they want to say but have difficulty saying it. Some children stutter occasionally, others all the time. It can vary depending on the situation. It might stop for a while and then start again.

It's common for children between the ages of 3 to 4 years to go through periods of stuttering. It might start overnight or build up slowly.

For most children, this is part of learning to speak, and it gets better on its own. It's rare for adults to begin stuttering or stammering.

Symptoms of stuttering can vary greatly between children and may include:

• repetition of a sound word or phrase
• making a word longer than normal
• silent blocks when your child tries to speak but no sound comes out

Your child may also make physical movements, such as:

• blinking
• grimacing
• tensing

Stuttering can get worse with tiredness or stress. Stuttering can be very mild to very severe.

Stuttering or stammering is related to how the brain controls speech. This means that it's a physical disorder.

Stuttering isn't caused by:

• tiredness
• anxiety
• parenting practices
• low intelligence
• a specific event

While anxiety does not cause stuttering, it can make it worse. This can then make the anxiety worse creating a negative cycle.

Males are more likely to stutter than females. About 1 in 100 people have a stutter. Stuttering runs in some families.

Stuttering can affect anyone. It doesn't matter what language you speak.

It's hard to tell whether a child will recover naturally from stuttering or if they will need treatment.

The speech pathologist (Opens in new tab) will assess your child's speech. They may ask if anyone else in your family has had a stutter.

They will count the number of syllables your child stammers. This will be compared to the total number of syllables your child speaks.

A syllable is the unit of sound (or beats) in a word. For example, "el-e-phant" has 3 syllables.

Classification of stuttering

Your child's stuttering will be graded based on how much of their speech is affected.

• mild = less than 5% of syllables affected
• mild to moderate = 5-10% of syllables affected
• moderate = 10-15% of syllables affected
• moderate to severe = 15-20% of syllables affected
• severe = more than 20% of syllables affected

If you're concerned about your child's speech, take them to your doctor or child and family health nurse.

You can also make an appointment directly with a speech pathologist. Speech pathologists will help you set treatment goals for your child. They will support you and your child to work towards these goals.

It's recommended that all pre-school aged children who begin to stutter should get treatment. Treatment is more effective at this age.

The type of treatment your child gets will depend on their age and how bad their stutter is.

Treatment Programs

For children younger than 6 years of age who are stuttering, there are 3 evidence-based treatments:

1. the Lidcombe Program
2. RESTART-DCM — is based on understanding stuttering
3. the Westmead and Oakville Programs — you and your child learn to speak in a rhythmic way together

The Lidcombe Program is the best treatment for pre-school children. Your child will attend therapy once a week. They will be given speech tasks to practice at home. You will be taught how to support them at home.

How can I support my child?

When talking with your child who stutters:

• be patient — let them finish what they are saying
• try not to interrupt or finish their sentences
• show interest in what they're saying
• speak to them normally
• reassure them that you're listening to what they say

Things to avoid:

• teasing your child about their stutter
• giving advice about how to speak — this may make them feel self-conscious
• medicines for stuttering

There are no medicines to help with stammering or stuttering.

Stuttering can have a strong and negative effect on your child's view of themself and their social relationships.

Children who stutter are at risk of developing social anxiety (Opens in new tab). This happens because of the negative feedback they get about the stammer.

Because the cause isn't known, stuttering or stammering cannot be prevented.

You can find out more about stuttering at the Communication Hub (Opens in new tab).

You may want to join the Speak Easy Association (Opens in new tab) — Australia which provides support to people who stutter and their families.

Learn more about different treatment approaches:

• Lidcombe Program (Opens in new tab)
• Oakville Program (Opens in new tab)
• RESTART-DCM (Opens in new tab)
• Westmead Program (Opens in new tab)
• Speak to a maternal child health nurse