What We Do
Action for Stammering Children (ASC) is a UK charity which aims for a society where children and young people who stammer have the same opportunities and quality of life as their peers. Our goal is to ensure that every child and young person across the UK who stammers has access to effective services and support to help them meet the challenges they face.
Based in The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, the charity is a strong supporter, commissioning specialist assessments and therapies for children and young people that stammer, appropriate research, and the training of speech and language therapists across the country.
The Charity helps children and young people who stammer, through a range of initiatives and projects including:
Our Helpline
The ASC funded helpline takes calls from worried parents/carers, young people, SLTs and teachers, ensuring access to a Speech and Language therapist where needed and guidance of help and next steps.
Supporting Specialist Assessment Services
At the core of our work is the specialist assessment service for any child or young person in the UK, aged 2-18, who stammers. Both parents attend with their child where possible, so that the stammering issue can be fully assessed in the context of each individual family. Families are seen by two specialist therapists who spend a morning or afternoon with the child and their parents during which they can identify and fully understand the factors underlying the child’s stammer.
The assessment which has been developed and refined over the last 20 years, is the cornerstone of each child’s subsequent therapy and greatly increases the likelihood of a successful outcome.
Training Speech and Language Therapists
As well as providing funding for specialist assessments and therapy, the charity also funds training of Speech and Language Therapists. The training increases the understanding, skills and confidence of generalist Speech and Language Therapists to be able to work with a child who stammers.
ASC Youth Panel
The ASC Youth Panel is a collection of bright young people aged 13 – 25 who stammer from across the UK. They meet regularly to discuss issues relating to stammering, helping to shape the Charity’s projects, and to give young people a representative voice in society. They aim to create a society where having a stammer isn’t a barrier to the success for young people.
The ASC Youth Panel aim to use the support and influence of the education system to further project their voices and presence, and begin to create safer, more natural spaces for young people who stammer.
Research
The research programme aims to provide evidence of the efficacy of the work we do, looking at the issues and effective treatment of stammering in children and young people.
As a charity we rely heavily on donations from the public. Please click here to donate.
