Everyone stumbles with their words
on occasion. While many aren’t
always fluent, most simply feel a little
embarrassed and quickly recover from the
incident. For those who suffer from stuttering,
each stumble can be a fearful, anxiety-filled
moment. A life filled with these difficult
experiences can potentially affect a person’s
self-image, personality and relationships.
The cause of stuttering, which affects up
to one in every nine children during the preschool
years, remains a mystery to scientists.
Normally appearing in children before
school age, it appears to stem from an issue
with neural speech processing.
According to Professor Mark Onslow,
Foundation Director of the Australian
Stuttering Research Centre at the University
of Sydney, “There has been a large amount of
brain imaging research that strongly suggests
stuttering is linked to a problem with neural
organisation of language. It is linked to the
brain having trouble organising the muscles
to coordinate rapidly enough to talk.”
If left untreated, stuttering can cause
devastating social anxieties, which can lay
the groundwork for underachievement at
school and reduced employment outcomes
later in life.
Professor Onslow estimates that as many
as one child in every large Australian
primary school classroom could stutter
but be undetected by teachers. “Children
who stutter in primary school often go
unnoticed. They become so anxious that
they sit in class and don’t say anything, and
effectively disappear,” he says. “Teachers
can make the world of difference to the lives
of children who stutter. A good teacher can
turn the school years from a daily ordeal
to a positive learning environment. They
can turn children’s lives around. If teachers
do not help children who stutter, primary
school can be a place where these children
can develop and sustain debilitating
social anxiety, which sows the seed for
underachievement at school and in the
world of work later in life.”
How can you help?
Traditionally, stuttering was treated in
school by forcing children who stuttered to
stand and talk in front of the class. In reality,
Professor Onslow says if teachers do this the
problem becomes exponentially worse.
“Teachers should talk to the individual
child and find out exactly what the child
wants, because every stuttering child
will have different wants and needs in the
classroom,” he advises. “It is a teacher’s role
to make the classroom feel like a safe space.
I advise that parents ensure teachers talk
to the child to find out what they can do to
make the child feel comfortable, safe and
not anxious in the classroom.”
In addition, Professor Onslow advises that
teachers, parents and friends listen patiently
while the stuttering child talks, not interrupt
them or finish their sentences. “Teachers
should also consult with parents and check
for signs of teasing or bullying. If bullying
is occurring, take an individual approach.
Speak to the children themselves as some
may not appreciate the teacher standing up
in class and saying, ‘Look, this child has a
problem with talking, it is not going to help if
you bully them.’”
When it comes to the child’s home life,
Professor Onslow recommends that parents
don’t attempt to change the family’s lifestyle.
“If you notice that your child is stuttering,
speak to a qualified speech pathologist
and organise a treatment that will help.
Families should not change their way of
life simply because one of the members
is stuttering; they should simply live life as
normal as possible and carry on as planned.
Successful treatment doesn’t involve
modifying the family’s environment at all.”
Can stuttering be cured?
While Professor Onslow doesn’t like to say
that stuttering can be “cured”, recent clinical
trials have shown that after a long period of
time, stuttering seems to go away and not
come back. “We are starting to get very
confident with the treatment, particularly
with young children. For example, we once
worked with a family who had a long history
of stuttering. The father, who had not been
able to pursue his preferred occupation
(he wanted to be a lawyer), suddenly
heard his young son begin to stutter so he
immediately took him to therapy.
“In that particular scenario, the stuttering
went away and the child did not face the
problems that the father faced. The child
also didn’t know that they experienced
treatment, years after it took place. We have
seen children at five years clinical follow-up
and they can’t even remember why they
came to therapy in the first place.”
Parents who are worried about
their children stuttering should seek
help immediately from a qualified
speech pathologist.
Professor Mark Onslow is the Foundation
Director of the Australian Stuttering Research
Centre at the Faculty of Health Sciences, The
University of Sydney. His background is speech
pathology, in which field he holds a Bachelor
of Applied Science, Master of Applied Science
and a Doctorate. He has taught university
courses in stuttering management in three
countries and currently teaches research
methods to doctoral students at the Australian
Stuttering Research Centre.