Stammering - Samvaad Therapy Centre

Stammering is a speech disorder that affects about 1% of the adult population. Although the prevalence in children is 2 to 5 percent, 70 to 80 percent of children usually outgrow it within 12 months.

However, with no indicators on who will outgrow their stammering, we recommend speech therapy for all children to ease the difficulty and reduce any emotional problems that may develop due to their stammering.

The cause of stammering may be unknown to us, but there is no evidence to show that stuttering can be learned from imitation or that it occurs due to lack of confidence or parental or peer pressure. As per research, the only significant factor may be heredity.

Our Approach at Samvaad

At Samvaad, we follow an integrated approach of speech therapy and Behaviour therapy for the treatment of stammering with great success.

Children: We use a reward system to maintain their motivation for therapy and to learn the new fluency shaping strategies.
Adults: We use speech therapy strategies to reduce the stammering and build fluency. We recommend psychological counselling or cognitive therapy to reduce associated anxiety.

We offer an intensive 12-day program at the beginning of the treatment phase and slowly reduce it to once or twice a week. All sessions are individual, and group sessions will be added if required.

Did you know? Online Speech Therapy has been proven to be equally effective.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes stammering?

The only evidence is that genetics contributes to the increased likelihood and that the incidence in males is more than in females in the ratio of 4:1.

Does emotional stress or weakness cause stammering?

There is no evidence to prove that emotional trauma triggers stuttering. Furthermore, research shows no increase in stuttering among children in war zone areas or areas affected by natural calamities. There is also no supporting evidence showing that stammering is due to parental pressure, anxiety, or poor self-esteem.

Is stammering the same as stuttering?

Yes, in the UK the word ‘stammering’ is commonly used and in the USA they call it ‘stuttering’. Both of these terms are used in India.

How should I interact with a person who has a stammering problem?

Maintain eye contact with the person. Give them the time to complete their sentence. You may refer them to a Speech-Language Therapist.

Why is stammering so variable?

Stammering is a mysterious disorder and its nature is that it is variable and unpredictable. Clients report varied severity during the same day and some report no stuttering for months.