FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is stuttering?
What causes stuttering?
When does stuttering typically start?
Will my child grow out of stuttering?
What should I do if my child stutters?
Is there treatment and what does it involve?
How does stuttering change across the lifespan?
Can I still get treatment if I am an adolescent or adult?

What is stuttering?

Stuttering is a motor speech disorder. This means that there is an involuntary disruption in the flow of speech.

There are different kinds of stutters. These are often described as:

• Repetitions, where the person repeats a word, sound or phrase (e.g. but but but or b-b-b-but)
   
• Prolongations, where a word or sound is stretched out (e.g. mmmmummy)
   
• Blocks, a period of silence as the person tries to speak, where the word or sound is stuck and won’t come out.
   
• Superfluous behaviours, where there is unnecessary use of words (e.g. ‘um’, ‘like’, ‘you know’) and behaviours (e.g. facial grimacing, sharp breaths, tongue clicks, eye blinking, foot stamping).

Stuttering does not affect the person’s intelligence, ability to think quickly or perform day to day duties.
It is four times more common in males than females.

In more severe cases of stuttering, the person may experience other behaviours associated with stuttering. These include tension in the face or neck, facial grimacing, foot stamping, eye blinking.

Stuttering does not affect the person’s intelligence, ability to think quickly or perform day to day duties.

It is four times more common in males than females.

What causes stuttering?

Although the cause of stuttering is not completely understood, it is a physical condition, which can be inherited and it is not caused by anxiety or by a traumatic experience. However, anxiety can sometimes make stuttering worse.

When does stuttering typically start?

Onset of stuttering can be gradual or very sudden. It typically starts in children between the ages of 2-5 years. However, there have been a few reported cases of a later onset of stuttering. It is common for stuttering to fluctuate in its early stages. Some children may experience periods of severe stuttering, followed by very mild or even no stuttering. Patterns of stuttering vary from child to child.

Will my child grow out of stuttering?

Some children recover from stuttering without needing formal treatment. It is not possible to determine which children will recover from stuttering and which ones will not. Evidence suggests that the longer a child has been stuttering, the less likely they are to recover without treatment.

Stuttering is a speech disorder. It is not a normal phase of speech development. Evidence has shown that treatment is most effective in the preschool years.

What should I do if my child stutters?

You should get in contact with a speech pathologist as soon as possible. Speech pathologists can be found at Community Health Centres, hospitals and in private practice. Local public services are listed under ‘Community Health Centres’ in the White or Yellow Pages for children. Some hospitals offer services for adults. To find a Private Speech Pathologist in your area, you can also look under ‘Speech Pathologists’ in the Yellow Pages or go to the Speech Pathology Australia Find A Speech Pathologist website.

Is there treatment and what does it involve?

Treatment varies for different ages. It is well documented that preschoolers respond best to treatment, so if you think your child may be stuttering, it is ideal for treatment to commence in the preschool years if possible. The treatment recommended for preschoolers is called The Lidcombe Program. It has strong evidence indicating that it is a powerful treatment for children who stutter.

There are also effective treatments available for older children, adolescents and adults who stutter. The treatment of choice for those people is more variable and treatment choice should be individualised. Some people will respond better to particular treatments than others.  It is the philosophy of the Stuttering Unit to use treatments that are supported by research.

In most cases, treatment involves weekly visits to the speech pathologist, daily measurement of stuttering and implementation of treatment techniques beyond the clinic.

How does stuttering change across the lifespan?

If left untreated, stuttering can continue to progress through to adulthood. The types of stutters may change and become more effortful. Although some individuals who stutter may have some speech related anxiety, stuttering affects the physical act of speaking. It bears no relation to intelligence, motivation or temperament. In fact, there have been many successful people throughout history who have stuttered including Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill Rowan Atkinson and King George VI (see the Oscar award winning film, The King's Speech). Stuttering can affect people in many ways. For example, job interviews, or social situations, such as going to parties or meeting new people, may be difficult.

Can I still get treatment if I am an adolescent or adult?

Treatment for stuttering is available for people of all ages. The treatments for adolescents and adults are different to the treatments for children. Treatments used at the SWS Stuttering Unit are evidence based (ie. they are based on scientific literature). The results of treatment will often be dependent on a person’s motivation. Goals are set by clients and the focus is typically on teaching strategies to control speech and minimise stuttering. There are a several treatment approaches available and the speech pathologist’s role is to trial and recommend the most suitable treatment for each individual. Speech pathologists may also spend time identifying speech-related anxiety and working with clients to manage this issue. Referral to a psychologist may also be appropriate as a psychologist is skilled in helping in this area.