Specialist stammering service for children

The specialist stammering team are based at Flockton House in Nether Edge, but we also run a clinic in Firth Park. We work with children and young people under the age of 16, and there is also an adult service for people over 16.

Up to 8 percent of children will stammer between the ages of 2 and 5 years, and for many children it is just part of learning to talk. However, if you feel you would like to speak to someone about how best to support your child when they are stammering or feel that the stammer is becoming a problem for your child, you can refer to our specialist service.

Your first appointment

Your first appointment with us will be a telephone appointment.

Your child does not need to be present for this call. We find it helpful to speak with you first, as it gives us a chance to gather background information. It also provides a space for you to explain any concerns without your child present.

During this call, we will provide personalised advice and recommend strategies that you can begin to use to support your child at home. We may also signpost you to helpful websites and online resources.

Children up to 6 years old

For children up to 6 years old, a phone call usually gives us enough information for us to decide how best to support your child. At this age, we always begin by supporting you and other adults around your child, to support them in the most helpful way.

Children from 7 years to 16 years old

For older children aged 7 to 16 years old, we will usually arrange a follow-up appointment in clinic for us to meet your child. At this age, children are often more aware of their stammering.

Our clinic appointments are at Flockton House in Nether Edge, or at Firth Park clinic.

At your clinic appointment, we will spend time getting to know your child using games and fun activities.

With most children we will also talk about stammering and how it impacts on their life, using visual activities and drawing to help them to share this information.

We will always involve your child in any discussions about next steps, to make sure they feel comfortable with these.

After your initial appointments, we will provide a report which summarises the information we have gathered and explains the next steps for your child. This report is sent to your GP, nursery or school and any other professionals involved in your child’s care.

Next steps

At your initial telephone appointment we will invite you to our next online parent and carer workshop. This is the first step on our pathway for most families and needs to be attended before we offer any further appointments.

The workshop provides more information and strategies to help you to support your child, and provides a foundation which we can build on in future therapy sessions.

If needed, we will work with your child’s nursery or school to make sure that they are providing the most helpful support. This may involve direct liaison with staff, school visits, or inviting them to our bi-annual online workshop for school staff.

Meeting other children who stammer can be a life-changing experience for a child. For this reason, groups are a core part of our therapy pathway.

There are separate groups for year 1 to year 2, year 3 to year 6, and year 7 to year 11 run 2 times per year. If your child does not want to attend a group, individual therapy can be offered as an alternative.