"It's okay, I'm not alone"

Speech and language therapy for teens who stammer is available through the NHS. You may be able to refer yourself, although in some areas you will need to see your doctor first. If you are under 16 your parents will need to be involved. You can contact the BSA to find your nearest therapist.

Once you have made contact with your local speech therapy department, they may also be able to refer you to one of the specialist centres or courses listed below.

Specialist centres and courses for teens

The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children
Two-week courses are run during the Easter and Summer holidays for children aged 9 - 14 and their parents, and a two-week course for young adults aged 16 - 18 is held in the summer holidays. An assessment will be required before attendance.
Contact: The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, Finsbury Health Centre, Pine Street, London EC1R 0JH.
Tel 020 7530 4238 www.stammeringcentre.org

The Fluency Trust
The teens challenge course includes an assessment day in Swindon, a five day residential course based in an Outward Bound activity centre in Devon, and a follow-up day later in the year. Therapy aims to increase confidence in communication, develop a positive attitude to speaking and decrease sensitivity to stammering.
Cost is £220 per place, which may be paid by an NHS Trust. If you find your NHS Trust unable to fund the course, please contact the course organisers for a discussion about alternative funding.
Contact: Claire McNeil, Clare Thomas or Beth Loveday (SLTs), West Swindon Health Centre, Link Avenue, Swindon SN5 7DL.
Tel 01793 877233 (More on Fluency Trust...)

City University, London
4-day intensive courses are run during school holiday periods in April and July, with follow-up days at half-term. Up to 24 people are accepted on each course and are divided into two groups: approximately 8 - 11 years and 12 - 18 plus.
The University does not charge any fees.
Contact: Bethan Lewis, Clinical Administrator, Compass Centre, Department for Language and Communication Science, City University, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB
Tel 020 7040 8288 www.city.ac.uk/lcs/compass/stammering/Intensive.html

Problems at School

If you would like information/advice about stammering in relation to a problem at school, whatever it may be, please contact:
Cherry Hughes
BSA Education Officer
Tel 01606 77374
Email ch@stammering.org

Help on the Web

As well as lots of information for you on our own website, there are also links to other websites.

Why not check out:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/stutteringchat/ - a site where you can share your experiences and ideas about stammering.

www.stutteringhomepage.com - an American site with a special page, JUST FOR TEENS - talk about stuttering - discussion forums, chat rooms for teenagers who stammer.

www.nsastutter.org - another American site with a teens page, including articles and link to Teen chat room information.

www.friendswhostutter.org - Friends: National Association of Young People Who Stutter - a national support for children and teenagers who stutter in America.

Safety: Remember: you should not give out personal information in chat rooms, mailing lists etc. More at www.chatdanger.com.

Here are some tips from teenagers who have coped with stammering:

"If people know, it's much easier. I try to find people who are okay with it. In a group, if the first person reacts well, it's okay."

"Remember that the bully has problems. What is their future going to be? If they put you down, it's an incentive to do well and prove them wrong."

"I know interviews will be challenging but practice will help. It's not the way that you say it, but the content that's important, in presentations."

"The best thing I got out of therapy was meeting other teens in the same situation, to share experiences with and talk to."

Check out your local Speech and Language Therapy Department (ask the BSA if you need help finding it). Have they got a group for teenagers? If not, why not? You could ask them if they could start one!

Teens index