School-Age Stuttering Program in New York
WHO
Children 7 years or older who stutter.
ASSESSMENT
A comprehensive evaluation of the motor-speech system.
TREATMENT
Exercises and strategies to improve fluent speech and communicative confidence.
Stuttering Program for School-Age Children
The Smooth Heroes
Some children struggle to get their words out smoothly and may experience interruptions in the flow of their speech. These difficulties can negatively affect a child’s ability to clearly and efficiently communicate their messages, and this can lead to frustration, anxiety, and reduced communicative confidence.
Stuttering is a speech disorder that commonly arises in early childhood at approximately 3 years of age. It is characterized by repetitions of a sound, syllable, or word. It can also sound like a hesitation before speaking, a prolongation of a sound, or a stoppage or blocking of air or voice in the middle of speaking and can range in severity from mild to moderate or severe. The severity of stuttering can fluctuate from day to day or according to the context or speaker.
How Does Stuttering Affect Communication?
Difficulties range from mild to severe and may change over time or vary dependent on the situation or person your child is speaking with. Many children who stutter have difficulty communicating their messages clearly and efficiently. This can result in frustration and anxiety as children feel overwhelmed by situations that require speaking.
Children who experience issues with stuttering may also have an unusually fast or slow rate of speech, which may be used as a strategy to improve fluency. Many individuals who stutter also experience excessive tension, struggle behaviors, and secondary mannerisms, such as blinking while talking.
Therapy for School-Aged Children Who Stutter
At Open Lines®, our stuttering program for children 7 years and older is designed to increase a child’s ease and confidence communicating. Exercises are designed and implemented in a manner that permits fluent speech. The sensorimotor approach is also sensitive to every child’s unique experience with stuttering; it takes into consideration the negative beliefs and thought patterns that can result in fear, anxiety, and stress associated with different speaking situations.
One of our specialized speech-language pathologists (SLP) will guide your child through a one-on-one comprehensive evaluation to examine their motor-speech system to better understand the type and severity of stuttering your child is experiencing as well as the impact of stuttering on daily activities and communicative confidence.
This program is specially designed for school-age children who stutter and did not previously benefit from intervention. Using results from your child’s evaluation, our expertly trained licensed clinicians work to coordinate your child’s motor-speech system through a series of relevant, targeted exercises as well as techniques that increase self-awareness, mindfulness, and relaxation, allowing for more fluent speech and confidence when speaking.
Our treatment approach is unique and compassionate and has resulted in greater success than more commonly used approaches. Your child will leave this program feeling proud and ready for anything!
Treating School-Aged Stuttering Disorders at Open Lines®
Contact Open Lines® today by phone at 212-430-6800, by email at [email protected], or through our contact form. If you are ready to take the next steps in helping your child become more comfortable speaking confidently in public, request an appointment to discuss your goals and review our service options.