Stuttering is the most common fluency disorder which is characterized by repetitions of sounds, syllables, words and phrases, sound prolongations, broken words, interjections, and revisions. 

 

The person who stutters may exhibit secondary behaviours such as eye blinks, facial grimacing, changes in pitch or loudness and unusual body postures and movements. Stuttering may cause embarrassment and feelings of fear and frustration and is usually accompanied by anxiety in certain speaking situations.

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                                                                             The Stuttering Iceberg

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Children who exhibit the following early signs of stuttering, between the ages of two and a half and three years,  are more at risk for continuing to stutter into adulthood:

 

• sudden refusal to talk (this can last from two hours to a day, after which the child starts talking again, but already stuttering) 

• using unnecessary sounds such as “uh”  or “um” in front of words

• repeating the first syllables in words or repeating whole words at the beginning of a sentence

• stopping or pausing in the middle of words or phrases

• having difficulties to initiate speech

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Children who exhibit the above signs of early stuttering are more at risk for continued stuttering. Other risk factors for continued stuttering include: 

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• a family history of stuttering  

• stuttering that has continued for 6 months or longer or has become worse over time

• presence of other speech or language disorders

• gender: boys persisting more than girls

• strong fears or concerns about stuttering on the part of the child or the family

 

If you are concerned about your child’s stuttering contact us for a free screening at 647-848-2988, by email at info@speechpartners.ca or fill out the online form. We will determine if your child needs a comprehensive assessment and will schedule an assessment session.  We will discuss with you the results of the assessment and if stuttering is diagnosed we will discuss the goals to be targeted in therapy. 

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Services are available online, in the clinic, your home, school, or child care facility in the following locations. 

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There are no waiting lists. 

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Funding is available for eligible families through various private and government assistance programs. For more information visit the FUNDING page.