How does it work?

Stammering crosses all races, cultures, religions and social groupings, conceals intellectual ability, affects educational choices and achievement, results in impaired communication skills and frequently becomes a focus for teasing and bullying. In severe cases, it may play a significant part in a young person’s ability to achieve their potential and to make a full contribution to society as an adult. We hope to stop this from happening.

It is a highly-complicated problem that has mystified researchers, academics and those who stammer throughout history. Even the name creates confusion; it may be referred to as stammering, stuttering or dysfluency.

Stammering can take many different forms and each person who has a stammer shows slightly different features.

One common feature is its unpredictability and variability. This makes it a deeply frustrating problem to the person who stammers and to the family. Many parents describe how phases of stammering are followed by a fluent period which may last for weeks. Naturally, this adds to the dilemma of when or whether to ask for help.