Support with stammering
Stammering – or stuttering – is a relatively common speech issue.
About five per cent of children stammer, with boys tending to be affected more than girls. Often a stammer starts between the ages of two and five, and in 75 – 80 per cent of cases the stammer will resolve by itself.
A stammer can include repeating, stretching sounds or short moments of silence, and can vary from situation to situation. A stammer can be affected by many things including urgency to speak, language complexity, rate of talking, illness or worry, not to mention tiredness or excitement, which explains why stammering often increases in the run up to Christmas.
Here are some tips from our speech and language therapists to help you support a child with a stammer:
- Give your child plenty of time to talk
- Speak in a calm unhurried way, using shorter sentences.
- Avoid asking lots of questions. Comment or describe what you can see instead.
- Make time for calm relaxed activities during the weekly routine.
- Avoid giving advice about how to talk.
If you are worried about your child’s stammer, talk to your public health nurse (school nurse) or a teacher who can refer for speech and language therapy, or contact our team directly on 0116 2955256.
Useful links:
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust runs a confidential secure text messaging service for parents of children aged 0-19 years called Chat Health. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, excluding bank holidays. All texts will be responded to by a public health nurse (health visitor/school nurse) within 24 hours. Outside of the service working hours, you’ll receive a message back to inform you that your text will be responded to once the line reopens.
Should you require urgent health advice in the meantime, please contact your GP, visit an NHS walk-in centre or call NHS 111. For emergencies, dial 999 or visit A&E.
Leicester City: text 07520 615381
Leicestershire & Rutland: text 07520 615382
