If you are a parent of a child who stutters, watching your child struggle to speak can be heartbreaking. You may worry how their speech will affect their ability to make friends, participate in school, speak up for themselves, and the list goes on. You probably have so many questions. Is it really stuttering? Will they outgrow it? Should I address it at all?

If you look online, you will find many differing opinions about the best practices for treating childhood stuttering, and about stuttering in general. It can seem overwhelming to navigate. But, excellent guidance and support are available.

Basic information about stuttering

The cause of stuttering is multi-factorial, meaning that a combination of different factors results in stuttering. It is inheritable, and runs in families. Given a genetic predisposition to stuttering, it is then “triggered” by environmental factors and other aspects of the child’s genetics, temperament, and speech-language skills.

Treatment for stuttering differs greatly from therapy for other speech-language difficulties such as those involving articulation or language formulation. At the present time, there are fewer than 160 speech-language pathologists (also known as speech therapists) who have received Board certification as fluency specialists from ASHA (the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association). … Continue reading..