Stuttering

Stuttering usually starts between two and four, often during a burst of language growth. Most children who stutter at this age stop within a year or two. For those who do not, early, parent-involved therapy has good evidence behind it, and children who stutter can become confident, effective communicators.

Who this is for

• Preschoolers who repeat sounds or syllables ("b-b-b-ball"), stretch sounds, or get stuck with no sound coming out.
• Children who show tension, blinking, or frustration when speaking, or who have started avoiding words.
• Families with a history of stuttering, or where stuttering has lasted more than six months.
• School-aged children who want practical strategies and a place to talk about stuttering.

What the service will include

Assessment looks at the types and frequency of disfluencies, how the child reacts to them, risk factors for persistence and the family's priorities. For preschoolers, treatment is typically parent-delivered under weekly coaching, using approaches such as the Lidcombe Program or Palin Parent-Child Interaction therapy. For older children, therapy blends speech techniques with building confidence and reducing avoidance. Decisions about whether to treat now or monitor are made with the family, using the evidence about natural recovery.

What you can do today

Read the guide on typical disfluency versus stuttering, slow your own speech, give your child unhurried turns, and note how often and how the stuttering happens over a few weeks. If it is lasting, increasing, or your child is distressed by it, an assessment is appropriate, and in Ontario the Preschool Speech and Language Program is free for children not yet in school.