Find out about therapies and courses available for children and teenagers who stammer.
Do you have a child who stammers, or has started to stammer? Before reading on, take a look at Help If Your Child Stammers. It has things you can do at home to support them.
If you're still worried, or if your child is distressed, there are lots of ways you can get help. We've got details of each one below.
Chat with us if you want to talk things through. Call our free helpline on 0808 802 0002 or start a webchat.
One-to-one speech & language therapy
NHS therapy
You can get stammering therapy for children and teenagers for free through the NHS. This is usually one-to-one therapy with a qualified speech & language therapist.
Finding a therapist
In most cases, you can refer yourself without going to your GP first. Here's how:
- Phone our free helpline on 0808 802 0002 or start a webchat. We can help you find contact details of your local NHS stammering service. Or, email help@stamma.org
- Or, find contact details online. Search for 'Child NHS stammering therapy + your local town/city'.
Getting someone to refer you
Another way is to ask your child's doctor, nursery/school or health visitor to refer you. Some services only accept referrals via your child's school. If so, contact the school and ask to speak to its 'Special Educational Needs Coordinator' (SENCO).
Long waiting list? No service where you live?
There might be a waiting list for NHS therapy, depending on where you live. Sadly, a few places don't offer therapy at all. If you've been told either of these things, there are other options you can try. We've listed these below, such as private therapy or stammering courses.
Free advice & assessment from the Michael Palin Centre
The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering has a helpline where you can get advice from a specialist therapist. Give them a call on 0203 316 8100.
They also offer a charitably funded assessment for 2- to 18-year-olds. This provides tailored advice and recommendations for you and your child. See the Michael Palin Centre website for details.
The Michael Palin Centre one-to-one therapy
The Michael Palin Centre in London also provides speech & language therapy for children.
Click the button below for more information, links and contact details.
Private therapy
Getting private speech & language therapy is another option, but it's not free.
Find a qualified private therapist near you. Search on the Association for Speech & Language Therapists in Independent Practice website. Or you can phone them on 0203 002 3704.
Make sure to ask therapists if they have worked with children who stammer before.
Sessions with a private therapist vary but may range between £70 and £125. This depends on the therapist's experience, what's included, or on regional variation.
The first session is likely to be more expensive. This is because they'll spend extra time gathering information.
More about one-to-one therapy
Wondering what to expect? See Children's therapy: your first visit.
If you'd like to find out what speech & language therapy involves, see Children's Stammering Options Explained.
Group therapy courses
Another option is a speech & language therapy course for groups of children or teenagers. Some are free but others you have to pay for.
Here's what's available:
City St George's University (ages 13-18)
City St George's University in London has group courses for teenagers aged 13 to 18 at its 'Roberta Williams Speech & Language Therapy Centre'.
Courses run every July, and aim to help young people become less bothered by stammering and work on confidence.
Click the button below for more information, links and contact details.
The Michael Palin Centre (ages 10-18)
The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering in London runs group courses too. One is for ages 10-14 and another for ages 15-18.
Click the button below for more information, links and contact details.
Stammer Adventure Trust (ages 10-17)
Stammer Adventure Trust (formerly the Fluency Trust), based in Swindon, runs residential therapy courses for ages 10 to 17.
These combine intensive speech therapy with outdoor activities. Things like climbing, abseiling, kayaking and surfing are included.
Click the button below for more information, links and contact details.
Talking Out (ages 11-18)
Talking Out run free residential and online courses for young people who stammer.
Its residential 5-day intensive course is in Yorkshire. This combines therapy with outdoor activities like rock climbing, mountain biking and canoeing.
Their online courses combine speech & language therapy, individual challenges, group and one-to-one work.
Click the button below for more information, links and contact details.
Other courses
Below is an alternative option to speech & language therapy. These are courses run by people who have been on them and found them helpful, rather than therapists.
Please note: courses might use language that some people may object to. For instance "We can help overcome stammering". Depending on your view of stammering, discretion is advised. See 'Things to watch out for' below.
The Starfish Project (ages 11-16)
The Starfish Project runs 3-day courses in Eastbourne for people who stammer.
One of the courses is for young people aged 11 to 16, accompanied by a parent. It supports people who stammer by teaching and practising a speech technique. It combines this with reducing avoidance, increasing confidence and developing a positive attitude towards stammering.
Click on the button below for more information, links and contact details.
Things to watch out for
Above are the main stammering therapies and courses for children and teenagers in the UK. Some might use language that could be seen as biased and non-neutral. For example, they might refer to stammering as an affliction or misfortune. Some people argue that describing stammering in this way adds to the stigma, while others don't.
You might come across other approaches online that aren't on our list. To safeguard against untested or unqualified providers, we recommend choosing one which:
- offers realistic expectations of change and NOT an offer of a cure or a way of 'stopping' stammering
- provides clear and unambiguous information about what it does and how much it costs. Also, how long it is and the commitment needed
- recognises the need to accept one’s stammer at some level, to help speech and/or a change in attitude
- is nationally recognised as supporting people who stammer to communicate confidently. We judge this based on an organisation's track record, a considerable body of independent user reviews and good feedback.
If therapy isn't working out
Are you having doubts about your child's therapy or the course they're on? Not quite sure where it's going? Does it not feel like the right fit for them? See What To Do If Children's Therapy Isn't Working Out for tips.
What next?
- 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.
Donate & make a difference
Creating this page was only possible thanks to your kind donations.
Please consider making a donation to STAMMA: click here. You'll be helping us to:
- keep our support services running for people who stammer and worried parents
- put on workshops and support groups
- stage events to bring people together
- create guides for teachers and employers
- create our award-winning campaigns for change.
Thank you.
Disclaimer
Courses, therapy providers and tools listed here are reviewed intermittently by STAMMA's Service Panel.
Inclusion on the website does not indicate endorsement by STAMMA. It simply indicates that those listed have met the basic criteria for inclusion. Details of courses and therapy is for information purposes only. This information is not advice and should not be treated as such.
Through this page you can link to other websites that are not controlled by STAMMA. We bear no responsibility for the accuracy, content or nature of these sites. This includes any language used to describe or refer to stammering.
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Getting your service listed
If you have a service or course you'd like us to include here, see How To Get Your Service Listed.
