• Patients & Families
• Education
• Research
• Community

• Referring Physicians
• Find a Physician
• Departments & Centers
• About URMC

• Libraries
• Alumni
• Giving

URMC  » Speech Pathology » Speech Language Disorders » Stuttering

• Home
• Services
• Cognitive Communication Disorders
• Speech Language Disorders
  • Aphasia
  • Apraxia
  • Dysarthria
  • Stuttering
    • Causes
    • Diagnosing
    • Symptoms
    • Treating
    • Types
  • Head and Neck Cancer
• Glossary
• Websites
• About Us

Treatment of Stuttering

Although there is no cure for stuttering, early intervention may keep stuttering from becoming a lifelong problem. A speech-language pathologist can evaluate the stuttering pattern and recommend therapy that can help a person learn to speak more easily and overcome psychological barriers, such as fear of speaking in public.

Treatment approaches include:

• Fluency Shaping Therapy - Reprogramming the speech musculature (system of muscles) to produce fluent speech by coordinating respiration, phonation, and articulation.
• Stuttering Modification - Modifying moments of stuttering with a strong emphasis on communicative attitudes and emotions.
• Combined Approaches - Aspects of both treatment approaches (fluency shaping and stuttering modification) are combined.

How to Help a Child Who Stutters

• Provide an atmosphere at home that’s relaxed and allows ample opportunity for your child to speak.
• Establish a family rule that everyone has to take turns and waits until one person finishes speaking before another begins. This will reduce pressure on a child to talk fast in order to be heard.
• Listen attentively and encourage your child to talk to you about fun and easy topics.
• Don’t interrupt when your child is speaking, even if he or she is having trouble or making mistakes.
• Rather than trying to slow your child's speech, slow your own and be a good role model. Asking your child to slow down may only cause frustration.
• Refrain from asking open-ended questions.
• Wait for your child to get the words out rather than getting impatient and saying them yourself.
• Don’t have your child practice certain sounds or words. This can make a child feel uncomfortable about his or her speech.
• Avoid asking the child to speak for others.
• Talk openly about stuttering if your child brings it up.
• Discourage other adults from correcting your child's speech.
• Don’t discuss the speech problem with others in front of your child.