Adult Stuttering (Fluency Clinic)
What is stuttering?
Stuttering is a disorder of the flow of speech characterized by frequent stopping of speech and/ or repetitive speech. Usually people who have a stutter may have a family history of stuttering.
Signs/ Symptoms of Stuttering:
The following signs usually lead to difficulty being understood by communication partners.
- Repetition of sounds – e.g. h-h-h-hello
- Prolongations – stretching of sounds, e.g. cannnnnn I have some?
- Blockages – hesitations/stoppages/pauses before talking
These symptoms may also be accompanied by secondary behaviours including facial grimacing, redness in the face, blinking etc. Stuttering is usually more severe when the adult is in a more stressful environment and may affect one’s self- confidence and performance at work.
How can we help?
There are various treatment options available depending on the type and severity of stuttering. We also offer the Camperdown Programme (prolonged speech programme) as an intervention approach for the adult stutterer. The Speech Therapist will use the technique to facilitate the adult in achieving natural sounding speech with as little stuttering as possible.