Fluency (stuttering) disorders

A fluency (stuttering) disorder can take on many shapes. You may notice your child repeats words, single sounds, or gets “stuck” and cannot formulate the sounds at all. Fluency disorders can also take the form of Cluttering, in which the child speaks at an increased rate, resulting in jumbled speech that is unclear to the listener. While there is no cure for stuttering, there are many strategies that can be taught to a child to help ease stuttering and facilitate fluent speech:

• Stuttering Modification Therapy: This includes teaching the child various tools and strategies to reduce stuttering and increase speech fluency. Intervention using a Stuttering Modification approach aim to re-shape dysfluent speech into clear speech through a series of leveled practice sessions.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This form of therapy is typically used in conjunction with Stuttering Modification in order to address the mental and emotional aspects of physical stuttering. The goal of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is to help the child eliminate the fear of stuttering, further facilitating fluent speech.