Advice Sheet

The ideas that follow are necessarily general and some of them will make sense and be easy to try out, while others will feel less useful.

Don't try to do them all at once - select one or two at a time to begin with. Nothing works immediately, so gradually build up a few that seem to be helpful and discard the ones that are not. We all want to help the child who is struggling to speak.

A few thoughts and suggestions to begin with:

• It may be unhelpful to tell your child to slow down. Adults
  find it hard enough to change their rate of talking and we shouldn't ask a child to do something that we can't do! Your child may be able to go more slowly for a moment or two, but it is unlikely that it will last - then you will both end up feeling frustrated


• While your child will probably be more fluent if you ask them to say the problem word again, this is unlikely to help him/her the next time he or she tries to say the same word


• Telling your child to think first before he or she speaks has a short-term effect. It can also add to the frustration

• Try to arrange some time during the day - perhaps five minutes - when your child can have your undivided attention in a calm and relaxed atmosphere


• Listen carefully to your child, concentrating on what he or
  she is saying, not how he or she is saying it. Try not to look away from your child when he or she is having difficulty talking


• Slow down your own rate of talking, as this helps to create a calm and relaxed atmosphere for speaking


• Reduce the number of questions you ask and make sure you give your child time to answer one before asking another


• Allow time for the child to finish what he or she has to say, rather than finishing it for them


• Pay attention to the number of times the child who stammers is being interrupted, or interrupts others. Explain to all the family the importance of taking turns when talking


• Praise your child for the things he or she does well (not related to talking) as this can help build confidence


• Treat your stammering child in exactly the same way as you would any other child regarding their behaviour - discipline needs to be appropriate and consistent


• Stammering and a fast pace of life don't always go well together. Some routine and structure in daily life can be helpful


• As with all children, enough sleep and a healthy diet are important to mental and physical development