Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with children who stutter

Abstract

Traditional therapy with children who stutter has focused on providing a tool box of strategies that the child may use to manage his fluency, which may be combined with identification and desensitization of the thoughts and emotions associated with stuttering. Therapy targeted at supporting children to identify their thoughts and feelings, and aiding their understanding of the relationship between cognitions and emotions, can have an important impact on children's speech, even at a young age.This paper will present how Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) has been used with children who stutter at the Michael Palin Centre in its integrated therapy approach for children aged 5 to 14 years and their parents. Particular challenges will be discussed regarding how to adapt language and material to support the younger child who stutters, with a specific focus on using language which will help a younger child to access their thoughts; enabling a child to talk about feelings; supporting a child to identify and challenge their thinking by considering alternative perspectives; and developing coping strategies to manage more challenging situations.There is growing evidence for the use of CBT with children as the recommended intervention for a range of mental health disorders. The evidence base for the use of CBT with children who stutter needs to be further developed, in order that those children for whom the emotional impact of stammering is significant, receive the targeted and integrated support they need.