Young people

Young people who stammer

Young people

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Young people who stammer often say they stammer more frequently in certain situations. For example, they might stammer more during presentations, during oral exams, or when talking to a group of friends. Stammering can also have an impact on young people, and their parents, because it has been happening for a number of years.

 

Many young people who stammer talk about the impact it has on them. For example, they talk about feeling ashamed or anxious, they say they might worry about what people will do or say when they stammer, and they worry about what people think of them. Some young people begin to think negatively about themselves and their speech and as a result they avoid talking or they avoid certain situations altogether.

Therapy can help to address any negative feelings and thoughts that a young person might have. It can include learning about stammering and its causes, building confidence, and working on communication skills. The first step is an assessment, where the factors involved in stammering are identified and recommendations and ideas are given, including recommendations for therapy.

 

Doing something about it, such as talking about stammering and understanding it more, can really make a difference.

 

A downloadable leaflet with more information about assessment and therapy is available here.

What I offer

  • 11 years’ experience working with young people who stammer at The Michael Palin Centre, an internationally renowned centre of excellence in London
  • Experience working as a specialist at the national level, giving clinical support and guidance to fluency specialists from NHS Trusts across the country
  • Highly skilled using a range of psychological approaches including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Mindfulness, in stammering therapy
  • Further learning in child and adolescent mental health and CBT at the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre.
  • Experience working with people who stammer with additional diagnoses including learning difficulty, autism, dyspraxia, Down’s Syndrome, and ADHD

Assessment

  • Increased knowledge about stammering can help you to feel less worried and less anxious
  • Assessment includes a detailed case history including questions about stammering and how it has changed over time, and completion of written forms. This allows all the relevant factors to be identified
  • The assessment ends with a ‘formulation’, a description of the causes of stammering, the specific factors involved, and what would need to be included in therapy
  • Recommendations and advice are provided, along with a clinical report
  • It is important for young people to leave the assessment with an understanding of stammering, knowledge regarding what you can do and why you are doing it, and feeling able to try things out straight away

Therapy

  • A range of therapy approaches which target communication skills, confidence building, and which address the thoughts and feelings associated with stammering
  • Support with examinations and oral presentations, and how to help others know what to do to help e.g. at school or at college
  • Use of a person-centred approach alongside an understanding of the importance of an effective working relationship essential for building trust
  • Joint goal setting to ensure that therapy is working towards goals which are relevant and helpful
  • Therapy that builds an understanding of stammering and your reactions to it, as a foundation for addressing the outward and emotional aspects of stammering and the impact it has
“Don’t treat it (stammering) as an issue – work through it and get the treatment that you want to get, but don’t ever treat it as an issue, don’t see it as a plight on your life, and carry on pushing forward”
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran Musician and singer
“I was a smart kid, and I had a lot to say, but I just couldn’t say it. It would just haunt me. I never thought I’d be able to sit and talk to someone like I’m talking to you right now”
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt Golden Globe winning actress
“Stuttering is painful. In Sunday School I’d try to read my lessons and the children behind me were falling on the floor with laughter”
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones American actor and the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars
“I was more than amazed someone would ask me to do a movie, since I had a stuttering problem my whole life. I still do. I’m just cool with it now”
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal Ex-professional NBA basketball player and actor

Contacts

If you would like to book an assessment, click here...

If you would like to know more about what I offer, including assessment and therapy, then please send an email to info@stammerspecialist.com or give me a call on: 07966 599984

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