Who do we help?

Stuttering is a form of fluency disorder - an interruption in the flow of speech. Many children go through a stage, especially between the ages of 2 and 5 when they stutter, repeating certain words or phrases, prolonging or stopping them. Some children may naturally recover from stuttering. However, if stuttering extends beyond 12 months, it is important to seek treatment early as it is known that stuttering will not naturally recover without treatment by then.

Some examples of stuttering include:

• "C- C- C- Can you help me please?" (Part-word repetition: Difficulty moving from the "c" in "can" to the remaining sounds in the word.)
• "SSSSS So I am going home." (Sound prolongation: Difficulty moving from the "s" in "so" to the remaining sounds in the word.)
• "I want a - um um you know um -  lolly." (Interjections: The child expects to have difficulty smoothly joining the word "a" with the word "lolly." In response to the anticipated difficulty, he or she produces several interjections until he is able to say the word "lolly" smoothly.)

How do we help?

Our speech and language therapists work with your child to lessen the impact or severity of the stuttering when it occurs. At TLC, we use the Lidcombe program and other techniques catered to different ages.  Some of these involve behavioral strategies that are practised in sessions and then generalised into daily speech. Use of the various fluency management techniques requires mental effort. Therapy takes time as your child has to slowly integrate the techniques into his daily speech. However, with determination and perseverence, and support from the family, your child will be able to monitor or control his speech fluency in most situations.