What is Stammering / Stuttering?

Stammering or stuttering is a relatively common speech, language and communication problem that can occur in childhood and persist into adulthood.

Stammering is characterised by the repetition of sounds or syllables (such as saying ‘mu-mu-mu-mummy’), prolonging sounds (mmmmmmummy) and pausing or 'blocking' (when a word gets stuck or doesn't come out at all).

It usually occurs at the beginning of speech, and people will often avoid certain words or speaking situations to try to hide it.

Stammering varies in severity from person to person. A person might find that they have periods of stammering followed by times when they speak relatively fluently, Irish Stammering Ireland information. 

IMPACT ON LEARNING SKILLS & DEVELOPMENT

Stammering is common in young children. Estimates for developmental stammering indicate that some 5-8% of pre-school age children will experience a phase of non-fluent speech.

The condition is more likely to persist in males than in females, which is why there are four times more men than women with a stammer. The reason for this is unclear.

Learning Strategies

• Use actual objects to teach words and concepts
• Check understanding constantly
• Ensure student can see clearly when prompts, cues or other strategies are being used
• Get the student’s attention before starting a conversation
• A slower speech rate helps with processing of information not so slow as to lose continuity of message
• Exaggerate and use gestures to help with the meaning of words that symbolise object or action
• Where possible, involve the student in selecting the strategy that works best for them
• Use pictures or photographs to reinforce the teaching
• Role play is a good way to alternate speaker/listener roles
• Give simple directions (e.g. ‘Put the book on the table’) where there is  poor oral comprehension or following instructions is difficult. Have the student repeat what they heard to check understanding.
• Useful activities such as conversation, discussion, radio/television broadcasts, puppetry, telephone, reporting, interviewing, telling jokes/riddles, book reports and role play
• Use co-operative learning to encourage discussion
• Be aware of misunderstanding and the role it can have on behaviour / social problems
• Aim to ensure that students who attend speech and language therapy sessions during school time will not always miss out on the same subjects/activities.

Irish Stammering Association Education Resources

Supports available

Children with a stammer may experience difficulties in school. Parents of infants, toddlers and young children with disabilities can access the HSEʼs Early Intervention Teams. These multi-disciplinary teams consist of a range of professionals with expertise in child development including medical professionals, psychologists, social workers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. They provide assessment and intervention services to the 0-5 age group.

If a parent has concerns regarding their childʼs developmental progress, they may seek to have the child referred for an Assessment of Need by the HSE. The assessment may screen for concerns in relation to the childʼs physical, cognitive, emotional, social and adaptive behaviour and identify areas of need. Following the assessment, a HSE Liaison Officer is required to prepare a service statement within a month of the assessment being completed. This service statement will state what services the child will require and an action plan will be developed to deal with how these are to be provided subject to resources.

Parents seeking an Assessment of Need can ask their GP, Public Health Nurse or the childʼs Consultant to refer the child or they can make a parental referral by contacting their local HSE clinic. Parents seeking an HSE Assessment of Need can ask their GP, Public Health Nurse or the childʼs Consultant to refer the child or they can make a parental referral by contacting their local HSE clinic.

School-based learning support will not be provided unless the child is performing in the lowest range at school. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is responsible for providing assessments within schools. The School can commission a small number of assessments each year through the NEPS but waiting lists are lengthy and private assessments by NEPS approved psychologists will be accepted for this purpose.

If the child meets the assessment criteria, they may be awarded a set number of hours of resource time per week and may also be eligible for a Special Needs Assistant. 

The Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) is an officer of the National Council for Special Education with responsibility for allocating resources to pupils with special needs and related issues in schools. 

Children who stammer attend mainstream primary and secondary schools with their peers, unless they have additional needs requiring a special placement. Whilst having the same level of ability as their peers, they can be at risk of underperforming, NCSE School Resources Parent Information. 

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is technology used by individuals with  differing abilities in order to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. Assistive technology can include mobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs, as well as hardware, software, and peripherals that assist people with disabilities in accessing computers or other information technologies. For example, children with limited hand function may use a keyboard with large keys or a special mouse to operate a computer, people who are blind may use software that reads text on the screen in a computer-generated voice, children with low vision may use software that enlarges screen content, people who are deaf may use a TTY (text telephone), or people with speech impairments may use a device that speaks out loud as they enter text via a keyboard.

There are many different types of Assitive Technology to support you in your learning, AHEAD Assistive Tech Hive.

Secondary Education Level

A student who has been receiving special education support or resources while in Primary School is eligible for continuation of support at secondary level, once they continue to have a special educational need.

The same general provisions he/she received in primary school apply at Secondary Level. This typically includes specialist teaching from a Learning Support or Special Education Resource teacher (both now referred to as Special Education teachers).

A student who has been receiving special education support or resources while in Primary School is eligible for continuation of support at secondary level, once they continue to have a special educational need.

The same general provisions he/she received in primary school apply at Secondary Level. This typically includes specialist teaching from a Learning Support or Special Education Resource teacher (both now referred to as Special Education teachers).

This support is provided based on need, with the number of hours of support determined by the Individual Education Plan (IEP) drawn up in the last year of primary school, NCSE Special education needs support.  

These issues themselves do not attract school-based learning support, unless the child is performing in the lowest range at school. In this instance, The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is responsible for providing assessments within schools. The School can commission a small number of assessments each year through the NEPS but waiting lists are lengthy and private assessments by NEPS approved psychologists will be accepted for this purpose.

If the child meets the assessment criteria, they may be awarded a set number of hours of resource time per week and may also be eligible for a Special Needs Assistant.  It is important to discuss any support concerns with the principal in the event that an assessment is warranted, National Council for Special Education, NCSE Education Resources. 

The Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) is an officer of the National Council for Special Education with responsibility for allocating resources to pupils with special needs and related issues in schools.

Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations (RACE)

The Race scheme aims to assist students who are at a disadvantage due to a disability, by facilitating access to the state certificate examinations. 

Details of the scheme of reasonable accommodations RACE State Examinations Commission website.

There are levels and resources of support within learning in FET Further Education & Training courses, Reasonable Accomodations in FET 2022. 

Third Level Education:

Research findings from AHEAD released in 2022 show that, of the total disabled student population (18,097) at Third Level 2021/22 represented in the research, Neurological/Speech and Language (6.6%, n=1195), AHEAD- Students with Disabilities engaged with Higher services 2022.

Going to college is the gateway to many rewarding careers for all young people, including those with this challenge. It also provides life-changing opportunities for more mature people.

Students affected by Speech, language and communication disorders and written language difficulties associated with these disorders can apply to college through DARE, the Disability Access Route to Education. The following must be supplied:

Evidence of Disability - Complete the Evidence of Disability Form 2016 OR Submit an existing report completed by the appropriate professional which contains the same detail as the Evidence of Disability Form. (The report must be less than 3 years old i.e. must be dated after 1st February 2013 for 2016 applicants).
Other Disabilities/Medical Conditions - Submit an Evidence of Disability Form for each disability / medical condition to be considered .

Educational Impact Statement (EIS) - you and your school must provide detail of how your disability has impacted on your second level experience. The Educational Impact Statement is used by DARE to determine if an applicant to DARE has been educationally impacted as a result of their disability. This information and the information contained in your Evidence of Disability documentation (Section C) allows DARE to assess if an applicant has met the DARE criteria. The Educational Impact Statement also provides background on your educational experience and helps to determine appropriate supports at third level.

CAO DARE Information

DARE Eligibility - The applicant is eligible once an appropriate professional has provided a diagnosis of a moderate or severe language or communication disorder
AND
the applicant also meets any combination of two educational impact indicators from indicators 1 to 6.

Speech & Language Communication DARE screening criteria

Note: You don’t have to be eligible for DARE (Disabiltiy Access Route to Education) to get support in college. All students with a verified disability, regardless of whether they come through DARE or not, can avail of a variety of academic, personal and social supports while studying at third level. Further information on the support available in college can be found at accesscollege.ie

Common Educational Supports - a range of common educational supports are in place at Third Level for students with disabilities. These include:

• Priority registration
• Reader service
• Use of audio-tape to record lectures and tutorials
• Assistive technology
• Materials in alternative formats
• Word-processing facilities
• Photocopying Facilities 
• Copies of lecturer's notes and/or overheads 
• Notetaker
• Time extension on out-of-lecture assignments
• Special Library Arrangements
• Counselling and Medical Services
• Study skills courses
• Examination provisions 

These and other supports available are outlined in detail in our 'Third Level Supports' area.

There are many different types of Assitive Technology to support you in your learning, AHEAD Assistive Tech Hive.

In the Workplace

Many organisations now make public claims to be an "equal opportunities employer". This suggests the existence of an equal opportunities policy (EOP), which is a policy statement adopted by the organisation declaring an intent not to discriminate and, further, to promote equality by taking steps to aid disadvantaged groups, WRC Workplace relations commission.   

Such employers are in effect promising to avoid discrimination on grounds of sex or marital status, and may also make such a commitment in relation to people with a disability and racial and ethnic minorities, Stammering Ireland Employment & Information.

NDA National Disability Authority Accessbility, communications, procurement guide, NDA Toolkit. 

Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant (WEAG)

If you are a person with a disability who has been offered employment or are in employment, and require a more accessible workplace or adapted equipment to do your job, you or your employer may be able to get a grant towards the costs of adapting premises or equipment, details of WEAG grants Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant.

If you are feeling fine and your Stammering / Stuttering symptoms have not created any limitations for you at work, then you may choose not to disclose your condition. You may want to tell your supervisors and coworkers, especially if you require accommodations to be made at work, AHEAD A Guide to Disclosure, 2023. 

Career Choice

Skills for workplace success fall into two main categories: hard skills and and soft skills. Hard skills are job-specific and they vary, depending upon the industry or field in which you want to work. For example, a graphic artist must have the computer skills that go with that job.

People with Stammering / Stuttering may benefit from completing a Personal interest profiler and aptitude testing, which will help them identify potential career paths.

Soft skills are the personal characteristics that go with a variety of jobs - they include social skills, problem solving, communication, time management, and organisation. For example, a person who prefers to work alone might find a research job particularly appealing, Explore Career Skills in more detail.

Famous People with Stammering / Stuttering

Singers Marc Anthony & Ed Sheeran, Actor Emily Blunt, Comedian/ Actor Rowan Atkinson, Musician & Singer BB King, Voice Actor James Earl Jones.