A unique child stammering: Speaking up

The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children in Clerkenwell, London, has been awarded £340,000 by the Government as part of its efforts to improve services for children and young people with speech, language and communications needs (SLCN).

The money will be used to create two DVDs offering information and advice on stammering. One will be aimed at the educational workforce from pre-school to further education across England and Wales; the second will be aimed at special needs professionals.

Elaine Kelman, a specialist speech and language therapist involved in making the DVDs, says, 'The DVD aimed at schools will be based very much on the thoughts of children who stammer and about what they want their teachers to know and do to manage them.'

The grant stems from MP John Bercow's review of services for children with SCLN. This found parents expressing dissatisfaction with the level and quality of service available to their children. They called for more information for families and greater specialist training for speech therapists in supporting complex conditions, such as stammering (see More Information).

COMMON BUT COMPLICATED

'Stammering is a very complicated condition,' says Ms Kelman. 'Ongoing research means it is becoming a little better understood, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.'

The complexity of the condition means each case has to be treated individually, she adds. 'There isn't a right way and a wrong way for managing stammering. Everyone needs slightly different management.'

Around 5 per cent of children, in total, experience some difficulty with their fluency at some time while learning to speak. Stammering usually begins between the ages of two and five, though 75 to 80 per cent of all children who begin stammering will recover.

The Michael Palin Centre welcomes referrals of pre-schoolers, as having an early start in therapy has proved to be a real benefit, and in many cases may help the child achieve a more long-term and stable level of fluency.

Parent-Child Interaction therapy, developed by the Centre and designed for the younger age group, focuses on how a family interacts and how parents can aid a child's fluency.

FOR THE CHILDCARER

If you care for a child who stammers:

- Set aside a few minutes each day to give the child your undivided attention in a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

- Listen carefully, and concentrate on what the child is saying, not on how they are saying it.

- Try to maintain eye contact with the child even as they struggle to talk.

- Slow your rate of talking to create a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

- Give the child time to answer a question before you ask another.

- Allow the child time to finish what they are saying; don't finish their sentences for them.

- Try to encourage the child and their family to take turns when talking.

- Praise the child for the things they do well (not related to talking), to build their confidence.

- Treat the child the same as other children regarding their behaviour.

- Provide routine and structure in the child's daily life and encourage the parents to provide routines. Having a hectic life may not be helpful in tackling stammering.

CASE STUDY

Writing of her experiences at the Michael Palin Centre (MPC), one mother says, 'As a specialist speech and language therapist in stammering, I was devastated (not too strong a word!) when my own daughter, aged two and a half, began to stammer. I couldn't even mention the word stammering without filling up with tears.

'I contacted the MPC, who gave us reassurance and solid advice. We had to wait about six months for a very thorough assessment, which is charitably funded for all children who live in the UK.

'Therapy began immediately afterwards. The Centre insists that both father and mother attend with their child, a practice that we found enormously helpful in achieving success.

'In saying that it was successful, I don't just mean in improved fluency, but in a functioning family unit able to support each other between appointments and in carrying out therapy at home.'

MORE INFORMATION

- The Michael Palin Centre is a joint initiative by the Association for Research into Stammering in Childhood and the Islington Primary Care Trust. Go to www.stammeringcentre.org.

- The British Stammering Association, www.stammering.org

- The Stuttering Foundation of America, www.stutteringhelp.org

- Interim Report - Review of Services for Children and Young People (0-19) with Speech, Language and Communication Needs is at: www.dfes.gov.uk/bercowreview. The DCSF and Department of Health review is led by MP John Bercow and the final report will be published in July.