WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-SCHOOL STUTTERERS?
In the past, stuttering children received indirect therapy, which changed the parents’ speech behaviors. Such changed included the parents speaking slower, or not interrupting their child. Such indirect therapy has been proven ineffective. Speech-language pathologists now recommend direct therapy with young children. The target speech behaviors are similar to fluency shaping therapy, but various toys and games are used. For example, a turtle hand puppet may be used to train the slow speech with stretched syllables goal. When the child speaks slowly, the turtle slowly walks along. But when the child talks too fast, the turtle retreats into his shell.
