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Stuttering is talking with continued involuntary repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants.

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Physical changes like facial tics, lip tremors, excessive eye blinking, and tension in the face and upper body

Frustration when attempting to communicate

Hesitation or pause before starting to speak

Refusal to speak

Interjections of extra sounds or words into sentences, such as “uh” or “um”

Repetition of words or phrases

Tension in the voice

Rearrangement of words in a sentence

Making long sounds with words

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1. According to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), stuttering affects about 5% of children ages 2-6 as they are developing their language skills.

Most children won’t continue to stutter in adulthood. The NIDCD also states that some children, less than 1%, will continue to stutter as adults. Typically, as your child’s development progresses, the stuttering will stop.

2. As of March 6, 2017, roughly 3 million Americans stutter.

Approximately 5-10% of all children will stutter for some period in their life, lasting from a few weeks to several years.

Boys are 2-3 times as likely to stutter as girls and as they get older this gender difference increases; the number of boys who continue to stutter is 3-4 times larger than the number of girls.

Most children outgrow stuttering. Approximately 75% of children recover from stuttering.

If a child starts stuttering after the ages of 8-10, there is an increased chance that the stuttering will continue into adulthood.

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1. Developmental- Most common in children younger than 5 years old, particularly males, this type occurs as they develop their speech and language abilities. It usually resolves without treatment.

2. Neurogenic- Signal abnormalities between the brain and nerves or muscles cause this type.

3. Psychogenic- This type originates in the part of the brain that governs thinking and reasoning.

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1. Speech therapy can reduce interruptions in speech and improve your child’s self-esteem.

2. Therapy often focuses on controlling speech patterns by encouraging your child to monitor their rate of speech, breath support, and laryngeal tension.

Electronic devices may be used to treat stuttering.

1. Playing back an altered recording of their voice when they speak quickly encourages children to speak more slowly.

2. Other devices are worn, like hearing aids, and they can create distracting background noise that’s known to help reduce stuttering.

There are no medications that have been proven to reduce stuttering episodes. Alternative therapies like acupuncture, electric brain stimulation, and breathing techniques also don’t appear to be effective.

Creating a low-stress environment can help reduce stuttering.

Not all children who stutter will require treatment because developmental stuttering usually resolves with time.

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A speech language pathologist can help diagnose stuttering. Non invasive testing is necessary.

Typically, you or your child can describe stuttering symptoms, and a speech language pathologist can evaluate the degree to which you or your child stutters.

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1.) Boston University’s Sargent College Building in room 303 (635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA).

Adults – Meetings are held on the 1st Wednesday of each month

Families (ages 7-18) – Meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month

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1. Don’t make remarks like: “Slow down,” “Take a breath,” or “Relax.” Such simplistic advice can be felt as demeaning and is not helpful.

2. Let the person know by your manner that you are listening to what he or she says — not how they say it.

3. Maintain natural eye contact and wait patiently and naturally until the person is finished.

4. You may be tempted to finish sentences or fill in words. Try not to do so.

5. Be aware that those who stutter usually have more trouble controlling their speech on the telephone. Please be patient in this situation. If you pick up the phone and hear nothing, be sure it is not a person who stutters trying to start the conversation before you hang up.

6. Speak in an unhurried way — but not so slowly as to sound unnatural. This promotes good communication with everyone.

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This past May, Tiger Woods composed a letter to a high-school aged boy who was being bullied for his stutter to the point he was contemplating suicide, writing, “I know what it’s like to be different and to sometimes not fit in.” He continued, “I also stuttered as a child and I would talk to my dog and he would sit there and listen until he fell asleep." And Now he is an 11-time PGA Player of the Year and golf superstar.

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1. “Stuttering: Types, Symptoms, and Causes.” Healthline, Healthline Media,

1. “Stuttering.” National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 7 Sept. 2017,

Admin. “Massachusetts.” National Stuttering Association, National Stuttering Association, 12 Sept. 2018, westutter.org/find-nsa-meeting-near/massachusetts/.