That Speech Lady: Stammering
Stammering is a subject that has always been close to my heart. This is because my father is a person who stammers and his experiences and stories inspired me to become a speech and language therapist.
I feel privileged to have worked with so many children, adults and families throughout my career as a therapist. I strongly believe the role of a therapist is to empower people to be confident and effective
communicators, regardless of whether they stammer or not.
Opinions and feelings about stammering can be an uncomfortable and complicated subject, but it doesn’t have to be. Things are changing, and for many (including myself), stammering is viewed as a valid way of talking.
Stammering isn't something that needs to be changed or fixed. There isn't a cure for stammering, but there are things we can do to help a person talk more easily.
When working with children, it is really important to have open conversations about stammering, and to work closely with parents and other professionals.
When working with older children and adults, goals may include:
Please note: these are suggestions only. I will always tailor my sessions to what is important to you.
I do not work on trying to eliminate stammering (although this can happen in sessions, it is never a goal I work towards). There are quite a few reasons why I don’t focus on ’getting rid’ of a stammer and I will try to explain some of them here:
A safe space
I pride myself in creating a safe space where stammering is allowed and accepted. What you say matters, regardless of how you say it. With this in mind, society does not always offer safe spaces, and together (if you are open to it), we can navigate through your experiences of stammering, and go on a journey where we question views around stammering and why this might be.
If you are a parent and your child has a stammer, I may challenge you with questions we have about stammering. Why is it something we often want to eliminate? What are the challenges of this? What is really important here?
Did you know....
Videos for supporting children
In the video clips below, I answer some of the commonly asked questions about stammering:
I feel privileged to have worked with so many children, adults and families throughout my career as a therapist. I strongly believe the role of a therapist is to empower people to be confident and effective
communicators, regardless of whether they stammer or not.
Opinions and feelings about stammering can be an uncomfortable and complicated subject, but it doesn’t have to be. Things are changing, and for many (including myself), stammering is viewed as a valid way of talking.
Stammering isn't something that needs to be changed or fixed. There isn't a cure for stammering, but there are things we can do to help a person talk more easily.
When working with children, it is really important to have open conversations about stammering, and to work closely with parents and other professionals.
When working with older children and adults, goals may include:
- Understanding stammering
- Exploring your stammer
- Being open about stammering and saying what you need
- Helping you talk more easily
- Reducing any barriers that might be in your way
- Helping you feel confident and secure to be your true authentic self.
Please note: these are suggestions only. I will always tailor my sessions to what is important to you.
I do not work on trying to eliminate stammering (although this can happen in sessions, it is never a goal I work towards). There are quite a few reasons why I don’t focus on ’getting rid’ of a stammer and I will try to explain some of them here:
- I believe stammering is a valid way of speaking. It does not need to be changed or fixed. The only exception is when physical tension and/or struggle makes it difficult for you to speak. When this happens, we focus on stammering more easily, rather than not stammering at all.
- There is not a cure for stammering. Whilst there are many different tips, tricks and approaches out there, there isn’t one method that will ‘cure’ stammering. With this in mind, why focus all of our energy on something that might not work? In my experience, some people find their stammer returns later on in life, or sometimes at a cost (for example, they cannot be fully present in a conversation because they are using all of their energy on a strategy that sometimes works but sometimes doesn’t).
- When working with very young children, we do not know which children will continue to stammer. Surely our focus should be to support children to be confident communicators whether they continue to stammer or not, to help them understand stammering and to have a supportive environment where stammering isn’t a problem.
A safe space
I pride myself in creating a safe space where stammering is allowed and accepted. What you say matters, regardless of how you say it. With this in mind, society does not always offer safe spaces, and together (if you are open to it), we can navigate through your experiences of stammering, and go on a journey where we question views around stammering and why this might be.
If you are a parent and your child has a stammer, I may challenge you with questions we have about stammering. Why is it something we often want to eliminate? What are the challenges of this? What is really important here?
Did you know....
- The latest evidence suggests 8% of children will go through a period of stammering.
- It is now believed 3% of the adult population has a stammer.
Videos for supporting children
In the video clips below, I answer some of the commonly asked questions about stammering:
- My child has a stammer. When should I seek advice?
- Is it okay to use the 'wait and see' approach?
- How can I help my child who has a stammer?
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Research and evidence point to the benefits of early identification and support. This is why I have developed the above introductory videos to share with parents, free of charge. Some parents may feel highly anxious when they see their child struggling to speak. Access to advice and support early on can really make a positive difference.
Do all children who stammer need therapy and support?
Not every child will need support. This is something a speech and language therapist can discuss with you. Sometimes I will see a child for an assessment session, other times I may have a parent only session first. After the first session, we will discuss the next steps together and decide if further sessions are needed (and if so, what our goals may be).
It's important to know there is no cure for stammering and most importantly, parents do not cause stammering.
Please check out my 'About' page for details about specialist stammering courses I have attended.
Recommendations
There are lots of great resources full of insights, inspiration and information about stammering. Here are some of my favourites:
Websites
https://stamma.org
http://stutteringiscool.com/
https://actionforstammeringchildren.org/get-involved/stambassadors/
https://michaelpalincentreforstammering.org/about-stammering/
Books
Difference not Defect (Stammering Pride and Prejudice) by Patrick Campbell, Christopher Constantino and Sam Simpson. You can read chapter one for free here: https://www.redefiningstammering.co.uk/stammering-pride-and-prejudice-difference-not-defect-first-anniversary-celebration/
Stuttering is Cool: A guide to talking in a fast paced world by Daniele Rossi: http://stutteringiscool.com/stuttering-is-cool-book/
Campaigns
It’s how we talk by Stamma: https://stamma.org/news-features/its-how-we-talk-campaign
No diversity without disfluency by Stamma: https://stamma.org/about-us/campaigns/no-diversity-without-disfluency
Find the right words by Stamma: https://stamma.org/about-us/campaigns/findtherightwords
Video clips
Wait! I'm not finished yet by the Michael Palin Centre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwjO-vWo4Oc&feature=youtu.be
Why you should embrace your stammer by Juan V. Lopez: https://youtu.be/8J5RUvs2rZA
Celebration of stammering and the arts by Stamma. Watch the whole event here: https://stamma.org/news-features/watch-celebration-stammering-arts
Blogs
https://www.redefiningstammering.co.uk/2018/11/ by Sam Simpson, an excellent speech and language therapist and advocate for the stammering community.
Podcasts
http://stutteringiscool.com/stuttering-is-cool-podcast/
https://stamma.org/resources/podcast
That Speech Lady - Stammer Specialist
