Parents and caregivers may have questions about your child's speech fluency, such as: "Is my child's stuttering a concern?" or "What can I do to help my child speak more fluently?".

If you have concerns regarding your child's speech fluency, please feel free to contact your school's speech-language pathologist for more support and information. The best way to get in touch is through your school's main phone line, email, or front desk. Depending on caseload demands, your child may be seen by the school's speech-language pathologist for a consultation or an assessment to learn about his or her speech patterns and offer appropriate support. 

Helpful Resources:

• Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research
• National Stuttering Association
• Stuttering Help Organization
• The Stuttering Foundation
• PDF: ISTAR Stuttering Information
• PDF: ACSLPA Stuttering Information

What is Stuttering?

Stuttering is also known as "fluency disorder". Fluency disorder involves the interruption of the forward flow of speech. This can include sound, part-word, and/or whole-word repetitions, sound prolongations, blocks, and accompanying facial and/or body movements. Stuttering may occur with other speech and language difficulties or it may occur on its own. 

Normal Disfluency vs. Stuttering Disfluency

Stuttering is not:

• A mental health problem
• Caused by nervousness
• A physical health problem
• Related to intelligence
• Related to ethnicity, country of origin, religion, socioeconomic status, income, and parenting styles

How Can I Help My Child Speak More Fluently?

Typical and atypical disfluencies can be addressed at home in similar ways; however, children exhibiting atypical disfluencies benefit from specific treatment from a registered speech-language pathologist in addition to the strategies highlighted below.

The Stuttering Foundation of America recommends the following strategies to help promote your child’s fluency.

1. Reduce the pace. Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently. Wait a few seconds after your child finishes before you begin to speak. Your own easy relaxed speech will be far more effective than any advice such as “slow down” or “try it again slowly. For some children, it is also helpful to introduce a more relaxed pace of life for awhile.
2. Full listening. Try to increase those times that you give your child your undivided attention and are really listening. This does not mean dropping everything every time she speaks.
3. Asking questions. Asking questions is a normal part of life – but try to resist asking one after the other. Sometimes it is more helpful to comment on what your child has said and wait.
4. Turn taking. Help all members of the family take turns talking and listening. Children find it much easier to talk when there are fewer interruptions.
5. Building confidence. Use descriptive praise to build confidence. An example would be “I like the way you picked up your toys. You’re so helpful,” instead of “that’s great.” Praise strengths unrelated to talking as well such as athletic skills, being organized, independent, or careful.
6. Special times. Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day when you can give your undivided attention to your child. This quiet calm time – no TV, iPad or phones - can be a confidence builder for young children. As little as five minutes a day can make a difference.
7. Normal rules apply. Discipline the child who stutters just as you do your other children and just as you would if he didn’t stutter.

Typical & Atypical Disfluencies

As a child’s speech and language develops, stuttering may occur naturally.  Stuttering may be a sign that a child is learning to use language in new ways.  Typical disfluencies often resolve by age five and tend to cycle, meaning they come and go.  Atypical Disfluencies are more concerning and are an indicator that stuttering may not necessarily resolve without some type of intervention.

Typical disfluencies include occasional repetitions of words or phrases (e.g.: “that’s my-my car” or “that’s my - that’s my car”).  They may also include hesitancies and the use of fillers such as “uh,” “er,” “um.” 

Atypical disfluencies include sound or syllable repetitions (e.g.: “I see a b-b-b-baby” or “I want da-da-daddy”), sound prolongations (e.g.: “mmmmommy”) and or blocks (the child tries to say something but cannot).  Disfluencies may be accompanied by associated behaviours such as facial grimacing, muscle tension, eye blinking or throat clearing.  Children at this stage may be aware of their difficulties speaking as they may show or express concern.

Helpful Websites

• A Guide for Parents of Children Who Stutter
• National Stuttering Association – Top 10 “To Do” List for Parents of Children Who Stutter
• Stuttering Foundation of America: free eBooks, videos and a variety of other excellent resources