Stuttering is a disorder of speech fluency. The child knows exactly what they want to say, but speech is interrupted: a sound or word repeats, a sound is prolonged, or the word blocks and will not come.
Two things need saying straight away, because they circulate as mistaken beliefs. Stuttering does not come from a nervous household, and it is not an expression of shyness or of the child's intelligence.
Transient repetition, or stuttering?
At one stage of development some children pass through word repetition, when language is expanding faster than the ability to organise it. A proportion of these cases resolve on their own. What separates the transient situation from stuttering that needs work is not only how long it lasts.
- Tension: the face, neck or body tighten while speaking.
- Blocking: the word does not come at all, rather than simply repeating.
- Avoidance: the child substitutes difficult words or avoids speaking.
- Awareness: the child notices their own difficulty and reacts to it.
- Duration: the difficulty is persisting rather than easing.
Tension, blocking or the child's own awareness are reasons to assess without waiting. A child's emotional reaction to their own difficulty is the sign that should not be underestimated.
How the family should respond
How the family responds carries real weight in what follows. Some things help and some make it heavier.
- Speak more slowly and without hurry - the model matters more than the instruction.
- Give the child time to finish; do not complete the sentence for them.
- Do not say 'calm down', 'take a breath' or 'say it again'.
- Keep eye contact and a calm face while they struggle with the word.
- Reduce rapid-fire questions and pressure to speak in front of others.
Treatment
Stuttering is treatable, in children and in adults. At ORATIO the treatment uses Professor Kaçka's holistic method (HMK), for which the practice is licensed. The holistic approach works simultaneously on speech technique and on the emotional side of the experience.
The outcome depends on the nature of the case, age and consistency in the work, and for that reason it is not promised in advance. Fluctuation during treatment is part of the process, not a failure.