Can Stammering Disorder In Children Be Corrected?

Introduction

The development of speech is an important aspect of a child’s growth, and speech-related issues are not uncommon in children. One of the common speech disorders of childhood onset is stammering or stuttering. About 8% of preschool children face stuttering disorder¹. If you are a parent whose child is facing this difficulty, then read on to know how you can aid your child’s stammering treatment.

Causes of Stuttering in Children

Stuttering and stammering are two names for the same condition. Though still in use colloquially, these terms are not used in clinical diagnostics, and the medical terminology for this condition is Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder¹. This is a speech disorder that affects the flow of speech in affected individuals. Children who stammer often repeat syllables/words/phrases to complete a sentence and take a long time to enunciate words².

Stuttering  disorder does not have any specific identified cause. Some factors might lead to the development of stammering speech in a child which include:

• Genetic / Family History: Strongest known risk factor. If a parent or sibling has stuttering, the child’s risk increases significantly².
• Neurodevelopmental Factors: Subtle differences in brain areas responsible for speech planning, timing, and motor control. Mild delays in speech–language development can contribute. In neurodevelopmental disorder, boys are affected more by stammering than girls¹.
• Temperament / Personality: Children who are highly sensitive, get easily frustrated and are fast thinkers with slower speech-motor coordination may show more stuttering^3,4.
• Psychosocial Stressors: Anxiety and stress due to factors like shifting to a new school, birth of a sibling, family changes etc. can temporarily worsen fluency^2,3.
• Environmental Factors: These include factors like an emotionally charged household, family dynamics or fast-paced lifestyle. They don’t directly affect but can aggravate the condition³.
• Bilingual or Multilingual Environment (Not a cause but a trigger): Switching between languages may increase demands on speech planning, revealing underlying stuttering tendency⁵.
• Motor Coordination Issues: Some children with conditions like autism and ADHD have slower development of fine motor speech coordination causing difficulty in smooth flow of speech⁶.

Acquired or late-onset stammering is relatively rare and happens in older children and adults as a result of a head injury, stroke or progressive neurological condition. It can also be caused by certain drugs, medicines, or psychological or emotional trauma, and usually difficult to cure.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D. in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology

How Can Stuttering Affect Your Child?

Stammering can mentally affect a child and lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, learning impact and affects social life of a child^2,7. It has been observed that peers often ridicule a child with speech difficulties such as a stuttering disorder. Here are some of the ways that this speech difficulty can affect your child:

• The major effect of stuttering is that it can make a child feel different from others, aloof, and frustrated.
• Your child might avoid speaking much and refrain from socializing².
• Your child may feel more self-conscious and develop anxiety issues carried on later into life².
• They might also face difficulty making friends, providing answers in the class, and feel increasingly isolated².
• It can also affect their relationship making skills since conversation feels like a hindrance to a child who stammers².
• As speaking in front of people can feel like a nightmare to them, they may avoid engaging in skill set development that involves public speaking.

Stuttering may build up over time or even affect a child very suddenly. The peak time for a child to develop this problem is when they start to learn and pronounce complex words and create longer sentences⁴. Fortunately about 80% of affected children grow out of it naturally¹, but those who don’t may require speech therapy along with a supportive home atmosphere to deal with this condition.

It’s common for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years to go through periods when they may stutter. For most children, this is part of learning to speak, and it gets better on its own. However, stuttering that persists may require treatment to improve speech fluency.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD(Pediatrics)

Ways in Which You Can Help Your Child Overcome Stuttering

Stuttering is not an uncommon disorder, and a large number of people face it at some point in their lives. To help your child overcome their stuttering speechyou will require patience, kindness and understanding. Here are some ways in which you can help with your child’s stammering treatment:

1. Listen to what your child has to say

If your child is facing a stuttering disorder you will have to be extra attentive towards what they are saying. When they are stammering it is important to take time and let them finish their sentences so that you can understand what they are saying, particularly when they have more to say⁸.

Taking time to closely pay attention to their speech, and talking slowly makes a child feel heard and boosts their confidence⁷. When you do this exercise each time they speak and do not ask them to repeat frequently, the child will not feel as if something is wrong with them.

2. Let them use a communication style that makes them feel comfortable

It can be difficult to communicate with a child who stammers during their speech development phase. Stammering treatment starts at home, and you should allow your child to converse at a pace that is comfortable to them, instead of forcing upon any other model of communication².

If your child is speaking either slowly or very fast you should not try to correct it at this stage as it can build up more tension in their mind⁷.

3. Do not discourage them or constantly correct their speech

A stuttering child is often criticized, mocked and corrected whenever they speak, causing a lot of traumas to them.This may lower their confidence. Always keep a positive attitude around your child and respond positively even if you do have to correct them at times.

Talk to them openly about their condition and  make them feel normal about having any disfluencies⁸. Constant correction of their speech will not make the problem go away, thus it is important to keep encouraging them throughout.

4. Try to avoid any attention to the disorder

A great way to make your child feel less conscious about their stuttering disorder is to not put special attention to it. Treat stuttering as a normal way of speaking if your child is suffering from it. When they notice that there is not much attention on their disorder, it becomes easier to recover from it.

5. Make time for one-on-one sessions with your child

Take time out and engage in one-on-one bonding sessions with your child. Maintain eye contact when they are speaking and show interest as this can help them feel more important and boost their confidence⁷. Help them address their difficulties in a gradual manner.

If your child faces a stammering speech you should also visit a speech therapist for effective stammering treatment. A speech therapist will help find ways to improve the fluency of their speech and help in reducing the emotional impact associated with it. They will also guide you correctly on how to help your child overcome their difficulty, like suggest you to make changes in your communication and home environment⁷. But you need to stay patient support your child throughout the process to help your child overcome this disorder quickly.

Conclusion

Most children can improve their speech problem with patience, support, and the right guidance. It is vital to remind your child that they are not the only ones who stammer and it is nothing to feel bad or ashamed about! Encouraging a relaxed speaking environment at home and seeking help from a speech therapist when needed can make a major difference in helping your child overcome stuttering with confidence.

References

1. Chang SE, Garnett EO, Etchell A, Chow HM. Functional and Neuroanatomical Bases of Developmental Stuttering: Current Insights. The Neuroscientist. 2018 Sep 28;25(6):566–82. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6486457/
2. Health Direct Australia. Stuttering [Internet]. www.healthdirect.gov.au. 2021. Available from: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/stuttering
3. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Stuttering, Cluttering, and Fluency [Internet]. www.asha.org. Available from:  https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/fluency-disorders
4. Choi D, Conture E, Walden T, Jones R. Temperament, Emotion, and Childhood Stuttering. Seminars in Speech and Language [Internet]. 2014 Apr 29;35(02):114–31. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4317269/pdf/nihms657451.pdf
5. Rasoli Jokar AH, Salehi S, Tanghatar K, KhoshbinSarokalaee L. The Differential Impact of Bilingualism on Stuttering Severity, Language-Specific Patterns, and Therapy Outcomes in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 2025 Mar;192:112314. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165587625001016
6. Talkar T, Williamson JR, Hannon DJ, Rao HM, Yuditskaya S, Claypool KT, et al. Assessment of Speech and Fine Motor Coordination in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. IEEE Access. 2020; 8:127535–45. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7971182/
7. NHS. Stammering – Treatment [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2018. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stammering/treatment/
8. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Stuttering [Internet]. NIDCD. 2017. Available from: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/stuttering

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