Fluency disorders
Fluency refers to how ‘smooth’ your child’s speech is. If your child regularly repeats sounds or words or ‘gets stuck’ as they are speaking, then they may be experiencing a fluency disorder. Stuttering usually starts in early childhood, between 2 and 6 years old. When the dysfluencies become more frequent, it may start to affect your child’s ability to effectively communicate with others and consequently lead to low self-esteem, avoidance of speaking, and anxiety.
The most common fluency disorder is stuttering, which results in an interruption in the flow of speech. Stuttering may be characterised by one or more of the following.
Repetition of sounds, part-words and wholes words:
- E.g., c-c-can I have it.
- E.g., Ye-Ye-Yesterday was Friday.
- E.g., She-She-She is my best friend.
Prolongation of sounds:
- E.g., ssssssssorry!
Blocks:
- Silent periods when the child tries to speak, difficulty getting the words out. It might seem like getting “stuck”.
Secondary characteristics such as head shaking and redundant facial movements may also accompany stuttered speech.
DOs:
- Be patient and give your child enough time to complete his/her sentences.
- Be a good listener. Encourage your child to speak in a comfortable environment.
- Speak slowly to your child and encourage your child to slow down when he/she speaks.
- Listen to the child attentively. Focus on WHAT is being said rather than HOW it’s said.
DON’Ts:
- Do not finish off sentences for your child when he/she is trying to communicate.
- Do not interrupt when your child stutters.
- Do not place your child in pressure situations (e.g., in front of a group of people) that may increase stuttering.
- Do not draw attention to your child’s stuttering.
At Blacktown Speech Pathology, we use evidence-based treatment approaches with children who stutter, between the ages of 3 to 17 years old.
Assessment:
Our qualified speech pathologists will listen to your concerns and begin to gather background information from you. We then engage in play, activities and conversation with your child to observe any dysfluencies in your child’s speech. We will determine the severity of the stutter and establish a treatment plan with you to help manage and minimise stuttering.
Treatment:
The Lidcombe Program is a treatment approach that is mainly used with pre-schoolers and predominately done by a parent or carer. We help reduce your child’s stutter by giving positive feedback and acknowledging the bumpy moments when necessary. During the session, we provide extensive parent training and feedback, so you can do the therapy with your child at home.
The Oakville Program is mainly used with school-aged children. Parents are also involved and encouraged to provide positive feedback with stutter-free speech. We will teach you and your child a special way to talk, using syllable-timed speech (STS). This technique is achieved by saying syllables in a rhythmic beat with similar stress across syllables. We will ensure that the techniques are used correctly in the session and that it is a positive experience for you and your child.
Home practice:
For children who stutter, attending speech therapy is important, but this is not the full picture. Home practice is essential. Along with regular speech therapy, your involvement in the home environment help maximise and improve therapy outcomes.
To support home practice, we will provide strategies and activity ideas to ensure that the experience of home practice is positive and fun!
Our approach
We welcome our clients (big and small!) with open arms. We take the time to get to know them and their family. We understand that we are all different. Our treatment will be perfectly crafted for your little one. Guaranteed.
Meet our expert team
We look forward to speaking with you!
