Children who stutter
Young children
Researchers and speech pathologists at the Australian Stuttering Research Centre recommend starting treatment as soon as possible after a child begins to stutter. This is because research has shown that even very young children can receive negative reactions about their stuttering from other children, which can lead to the subsequent development of social anxiety. It is now known that children who stutter are at risk of feeling anxious about talking in social situations when they are as young as 7 years of age.
For children younger than 6 years of age who are stuttering, there are three therapy approaches that are supported with evidence from randomised clinical trials. These are the Lidcombe Program, RESTART-DCM, and syllable-timed speech approaches such as the Westmead and Oakville Programs. The strongest research evidence is for the Lidcombe Program.
The Lidcombe Program is administered daily by a parent, or carer, who also keeps a daily record of stuttering severity under the guidance of a speech pathologist. During weekly consultations with a speech pathologist, the parent learns how to conduct the treatment correctly and in a positive way for the child. The Lidcombe Program can be delivered in the clinic or by telehealth (via webcam).
During the Lidcombe Program, the parent gives positive feedback when the child talks without stuttering, and the parent occasionally comments when the child stutters. When stuttering is at a low level, the clinical consultations with the speech pathologist occur less often. The time taken to complete the treatment varies from child to child. It is common for children to take several months to attain no stuttering or almost no stuttering; however, it is important that some improvement occurs shortly after treatment begins. More information about the Lidcombe Program can be found on the Lidcombe Program Trainers Consortium website. Treatment resources are available on the Lidcombe Program resources page of this website.
RESTART-DCM is a different style of treatment from the Lidcombe Program. It is based on a method of understanding stuttering in young children, using the Demands and Capacities Model. This model states that stuttering is associated with aspects of the family environment that place demands on the child’s speech. RESTART-DCM treatment involves parents alleviating these demands. Some examples are parents making changes to the way they communicate with their child and making changes to the general pace of family living. If it is thought necessary, the treatment also involves directly working with the child’s speech, such as reducing their speech rate or applying speech drills to train speech movements. As with the Lidcombe Program, the treatment can require several months for the child to attain no stuttering or almost no stuttering. For more information about RESTART-DCM, please see the RESTART-DCM Method manual.
With syllable-timed speech treatments, which include the Westmead and Oakville Programs, the parent and child speak in a rhythmic way together using equal stress across all syllables. This is a well-known technique to stop or minimise stuttering temporarily. Research has shown that with children, the fluency achieved while practising syllable-timed speech transfers to natural speech. The aim is not for the child’s speech to sound rhythmic after treatment. In addition to practising syllable-timed speech, the Oakville Program includes positive feedback for stutter-free speech.
Due to its simplicity, the Westmead program can be used with very young children, shortly after they begin to stutter. The Oakville Program is more often used with older children, including those of school age. In both programs, when no stuttering or almost no stuttering has been achieved in natural conversation, regular practice with the technique is gradually withdrawn.
Treatment resources are available on the Westmead Program resources page and the Oakville Program resources page of this website.
Older children
For older children who stutter, the treatment approaches described above may be successfully adapted. In addition, given that managing stuttering in older children often requires conscious strategies, speech pathologists may also adapt treatments that are used with teens and adults who stutter. A speech pathologist can determine which treatment approach is best for the individual child and family. The speech pathologist also typically works with the child’s school teacher to support the child in the classroom during this time.
If you have concerns about your child's stuttering, please contact a speech pathologist. (See Where can I access treatment?)
