Therapy approaches are direct and indirect. I have specific training in Michael Palin parent child interaction therapy (PCI) for children under seven. Following a comprehensive assessment, therapy typically consists of two or more of the following three areas:
- Interaction strategies
- Family strategies
- Child strategies
Other therapy approaches for stuttering include Response Contingency Therapy, fluency shaping, and control of utterance length.
Why do some children stammer?
The simple answer to this question is that we do not know. Research findings indicate that there are many factors that influence both the onset and development of stammering.
Some interesting facts from current research:
Stammering has a genetic basis. However, the pattern of history in a family also seems to be important. There is an increased likelihood of ‘natural recovery’ when a child had a family history of relatives having recovered.
Boys are more likely than girls to have persistent stammering. The ratio of boys to girls who have a stammer is reported to be 1:1 when they first start stammering but by the age of 10 years it reaches 5:1.
Stammering is not more common in people with two languages
A child with a stammer can present with delayed or advanced language ability.
Studies suggest stammering is related to underlying structural differences in the brains of those who stammer.
The research is very clear that there is no evidence that the communication and interaction styles of parents of children who stammer are different from that of other parents. However, some researchers suggest that stammering may result in a change of interaction styles between parents and children.
A child’s temperament may play a role in the development of stammering. Studies have show that children who stammer are often more impulsive and less adaptable to change. They are often more shy and anxious than their peers.
Testimonials
‘Having Speech Therapy in school is so convenient. It saves me time,energy, and money. I don’t have to travel for the appointment. Frances does half hour sessions to keep the cost down. The school and home are coordinated in implementing the therapy programme. Frances is adaptive,imaginative, and thorough. Her goals are clear and realistic. She gives practical advice and guidance on how to implement her programme at school and at home’
Valerie Vaughan, Tipperary
I would just like to say that I found the service to be very beneficial. Frances was more than helpful with information about the resources available to my son. My son found Frances to be a lovely person, in his words “she’s cool”.I emailed Frances on short notice to get an assessment done and she was more than willing to help me out. Frances was very kind to my son made him feel very at ease and also made me feel at ease. I would recommend her services to anyone.
C. Moloney, Co. Clare