Stammering & Down's Syndrome

Find out about the link between stammering and Down's Syndrome. Learn what you can do to help when talking with someone with Down's Syndrome.

Stammering is common in people with Down's Syndrome. They will often have other speech and language differences and hearing loss. This means someone with Down's Syndrome might be hard to understand.

Down's syndrome may also cause learning difficulties. This can affect the ability to understand and produce speech.

Someone with Down's Syndrome might:

repeat whole words or parts of words while trying to think of the next bit of the sentence. Eg "It's…it's…it's…big"
have long pauses in the middle of the sentence when they can't think of what to say next. Eg "It's a……ball"
pause in unusual places in sentences. This is often followed by two or three words in a sudden rush that may be hard to understand. Eg "I'm going swim…mint'morrow"
put emphasis on a word in a sentence, or part of a word, that wouldn't normally be emphasised.
struggle to find the right speech sound to start the word off.

How to help

When talking with someone with Down's Syndrome, you can help by doing the following:

Give them plenty of time to speak and plan what they want to say.
Pause before responding or talking, and slow the conversation down.
Avoid finishing sentences or saying what you think they're trying to say.
Ask them to repeat what they said if you haven't understood something. It's best to be honest.
Avoid long or complicated sentences.
Give positive encouragement for the message rather than the style of delivery.
Use gestures to illustrate your conversation.

Let them know you value what they are saying and that you want to hear them.

Support & more information

The Down's Syndrome Association. They have practical tips and activities for families and carers. These can help support children and young people to develop their communication skills.

Mencap

Exploring Fluency in Down's Syndrome. This is a book for professionals and parents, by Monica Bray (2016).

A note on terminology

We know that it's important to use the right words when talking about conditions and differences. We acknowledge that there is an ongoing discussion within the Down's Syndrome community over the terminology used. We are guided by the Down's Syndrome Association, who inform us that while the term 'Down Syndrome' is preferred in some parts of the world, the term 'Down's Syndrome' is favoured in the UK.

What next?

Read more Stammering Facts.
Become A STAMMA Member for free and join the community. We'll keep you updated with our activities.
Get involved with the STAMMA community. Find an event, fundraise, share your story, volunteer, take part in research and more.