London Speech Therapy Stammering Specialist

At London Speech Therapy, we work closely with an associate Speech and Language Therapist who speicalises in Dysfluency in children and Adults.  

We offer stammering assessments and therapy from one of our clinics or from your home

Children's Stammering Assessment and Therapy

We’ll sit down with you and discuss your child’s case history. We’ll ask questions like:

• When did your child start stammering?
  
• Is there any family history of stammering?
  
• When is your child's speech smoothest and when is it most ‘bumpy’?
  
• What seems to help already?
  

We’ll do some language assessment with your child to see what their language development is like, and depending on their age and ability, we may ask them some questions about their stammer.

All this will help us build a picture of what your child needs and then we’ll put together a plan moving forward.

Therapy approaches

You as a parent/carer will be the key player in therapy.  We’re experts in fluency, but you’re the expert when it comes to your child!  So we’ll work together on therapy techniques and things to do at home with your child to help their speech.

Lidcombe and Palin PCI have been shown to be very effective with little ones.  Older children will work on a range of fluency-shaping and block modification techniques, and we may explore some of those nasty negative feelings associated with stammering.  The key is to make it fun and engaging, and no longer see the stammer as the one who’s in control of us!

Age ranges

We’ll typically see children from around 3 years old.  Depending on their age it may be a case of giving you, the parents, some strategies and pointers to use at home, to make sure you’re maintaining a communication environment at home conducive to fluent speech

Adult Stammering

Therapy approaches

Therapy is, of course, tailored to you as an individual.  We take your current strengths and challenges into account and, in agreement with you, set clear therapy goals.

A typical course of therapy will take into account the following:

• Stammer identification: We’ll examine what happens when you stammer.  Everyone’s stammer is as unique as them, and we’ll pick apart what’s going on - both physically and  psychologically - when you hit that block.
  
• Desensitisation: We’ll look at the negative feelings or behaviours associated with your stammer and then get to work on them.  This is particularly useful for covert stammerers (those who have a stammer but conceal it)
  
• Fluency modification: We’ll then look at fluency shaping and block modification methods to help you achieve more fluent speech
  

But that’s not all there is to it.  Stammering is a hugely complex condition that affects each of us differently, and we’ll address all the factors associated with you stammer.

We aim to make you more effective communicators - don’t forget that fluency is just one part of that!

Where does therapy take place?

We can see clients at our clinic in stratford London, our clinic at 10 Harley Street or, if you’d prefer, at your home or place of work.

Some international clients find therapy over Skype/Facetime useful.  The relationship between therapist and client is key, so we invite you to meet with your therapist for a quick chat over Skype (no charge!) to see if you think you’d get along :)

How to find us