Stammering/Dysfluency/Stuttering! They all mean the same thing, however whatever the label stammering can be a stressful condition.

Since the beginning of lockdown, it has been reported that there has been a notable increase in people seeking help and support for their stammer. With working from home and online learning becoming the norm for the majority of the population, I suspect at times, all of us have felt the pressure to present our best selves to the zoom call, teams, or whatever medium we are sharing ourselves on. This creates anxiety and can chip away at self confidence.

There are also the technical hurdles we face, “You don’t have your camera on!” “Can you hear me? I can’t see you? You’re on mute etc..” Speaking can be distorted, broken or paused, people often miss their cue to talk and it can be frustrating. People who stammer are perhaps greater affected by these issues as at the onset of speaking, anxiety can peak, so getting the words out and taking turns in conversation becomes tricky. This can lead to them taking a back seat, and not communicating their opinions fully. If they have associated facial ticks or distortions due to tension when speaking then these can become more apparent as the individuals view themselves on the screen.

Conversely, living our lives through technology can bring relief to the introvert, or the social communication avoiders. Haven’t we all sent a text or an email instead of picking up the phone? For the person who stammers, this only gives less practice at facing some of those speaking situations most feared.

So if you have a stammer or your child stammers, maybe it’s time to seek help and learn some strategies to manage your speech and gain confidence.

Your stammer is only one aspect of you and it’s as individual as you are.

Happy Stammering!!!

Carolyn Darby
HAPPY TALK

Below are some links where you can find a plethora of information about stammering. Check out the book recommendation too for younger readers.

Don’t forget International Stammering Awareness Day on the 22nd October 2021!!

On average 2 pupils in every class of 30 children will have lifelong difficulties with understanding language and talking. This is called Developmental Language Disorder or DLD. Developmental because it starts in childhood. Language because it affects words and sentences: understanding and/or talking. Disorder because it’s something that’s not expected.

It often goes unnoticed yet it can affect learning, literacy, social relationships, behaviour and mental health. That’s why RADLD (Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder) exists and on Friday 15th October it’s DLD Awareness Day. The theme is: Think Language. Think DLD.

With greater awareness comes better understanding, support and services which all leads to better outcomes for people with DLD.

What is DLD?

It’s primarily a difficulty with language not intelligence. It affects a person’s ability to process and use language in different ways and impacts upon different areas.

At Happy Talk we are passionate about supporting children with DLD and their families. Research tells us that children need access to Speech and Language Therapy provision to be able to make the best progress. This may be through assessment and advice, blocks of therapy to target a specific weakness, programmes of specific intervention and strategies provided to school staff to help teachers to provide the right support for the child to learn in the classroom. Whilst it’s a lifelong condition the need for intervention will vary.

Some general tips to help with understanding are:

• Use simple language to support understanding
• Use visuals to aid memory and understanding
• Encourage everyone to ask when they don’t understand
• Model the expected language and provide sentence starters and narrative frames
• Explicitly teach vocabulary and sentences
• Give extra time to think and to allow the child to put their thoughts in to words

For more information, support or assessment please do get in touch!

Below is a useful poster resource that explains what Developmental Language Disorder limits:

As the new marketing intern for Happy Talk Ltd I attended my first Speech and Language Therapy webinar last week about Selective Mutism. I want to share some of my reflections here, starting by asking you this:

Rebecca Blahuta, one of Happy Talk’s specialist speech and language therapists, described how the fight or flight response is triggered in children with Selective Mutism when someone asks them a question, causing them to freeze without choice and not be able to answer. This made me reflect, as I have asked you to above, on how often I ask children questions and the stress this may cause some children, even if they do not have a diagnosis of Selective Mutism.

When I volunteered at a local Girlguiding Brownie group and at a primary school, although none of our children had Selective Mutism, some children did get very nervous when speaking to others and would struggle to answer direct questions. I think some of Rebecca’s tips for helping children with Selective Mutism are good for all children, especially those who are out of their comfort zone or shy:

1. Making comments, rather than asking questions, reduces the pressure for children to respond so can help them speak. So, how could I apply this tip to my volunteering? Rather than asking a child about their day, I could tell them about my day and wait to see if they add anything or ask me a question! Conversation is best when doing an activity together so if the child doesn’t respond to a comment it doesn’t make the situation uncomfortable, the child can just continue with the activity.
2. The pep talk. It’s natural to try to protect children from feeling embarrassed or confused by their struggles to communicate. Rebecca talked about helping children feel less anxious and isolated by being open and honest with children about their anxieties. Story books are a great informal and fun way to do this, so I have listed some below that were suggested by Rebecca. How could I apply this tip to my volunteering? If children are feeling nervous, I could take away the pressure to communicate by explaining at an appropriate moment they are not expected to speak, are not alone and it is natural to experience anxiety regarding communicating.
3. Often children want to join in, but just struggle to verbally, so enable them to participate in other ways! Rebecca explained that Selective Mutism is not related to low language ability, it is anxiety related. So, often children know what they want to say but just can’t get the words out. How could I apply this tip to my volunteering? Provide a range of activities so there are methods for children to join in or communicate without having to speak. These could be tasks such as craft, building or exercise or using toys such as puppets that children can ‘speak through’. Children could be encouraged to make a ‘home diary’  to interact with their teachers without needing to speak too much.

So, what are my final thoughts on Rebecca’s webinar? Armed with my new understanding of the scientific reasons behind Selective Mutism, and Rebecca’s tips, I think we can help all children to engage in conversation, not just those who are shy or struggle to answer direct questions. By finding a balance between asking questions, making comments and waiting, we can teach children how to make conversation.

Next time I ask a child a question, I will now think ‘could commenting rather than questioning have been more appropriate?’

Story books recommended by Rebecca: (hover over them for more information)