As a Parent you can foster your child's communication development.

The Lidcombe Program supports you to help your child speak more fluently.

Stuttering in Young Children (Under 6 Years Old)

Stuttering typically begins well before the age of six, most commonly around three years of age. Unlike many other speech and language disorders in early childhood, stuttering emerges after a period of uneventful speech and language development. This sudden change can be especially distressing for parents—particularly in the one-third of cases where stuttering onset is sudden.
Stuttering appears when children are developing their language skills. Research has shown that stuttering is a physical, not psychological, condition. It is not caused by parenting style or the family environment. Instead, it is believed to a genetic predisposition affecting how children coordinate speech muscles.
While many children who begin to stutter will recover without treatment, we cannot predict who they will be. We do know that fewer than 10% of children recover in the first year after stuttering begins. For this reason, early intervention is essential.
The Lidcombe Program has been shown in randomized clinical trials to be effective in reducing stuttering in children.
Early treatment is critical for three key reasons:
  1. Social impact: Children under six who stutter are at risk of developing social anxiety because of it.
  2. Treatment effectiveness: Stuttering becomes more difficult to treat once it persists into the school years.
  3. Long-term consequences: Untreated stuttering could lead to social, emotional, and vocational difficulties later in life.
The best important advice for any parent whose child has begun to stutter is to seek guidance from a speech-language pathologist as soon as possible.

Early treatment is essential for three key reasons:

Social impact:
Children under six who stutter are at risk of developing social anxiety because of it.
Treatment effectiveness:
Stuttering becomes more difficult to treat once it persists into the school years.
Long-term consequences:
Untreated stuttering can lead to social, emotional, and vocational difficulties later in life.

About Lidcombe Program

What is the Lidcombe Program?

The Lidcombe Program is a treatment for young children who stutter. It was designed for children under 6 years old but can be suitable for slightly older children too.

How does it work?

The treatment is done by a parent or caregiver during conversations in a child’s everyday life—such as playtime, mealtimes, or shared reading. Parents attend regular consultations with a speech-language pathologist, who shows them how to do the treatment and provides feedback about how they are doing it. This support is essential to ensure that treatment is effective and remains a positive experience for the child and the family.

What does the treatment involve?

The Lidcombe Program involves parents giving gentle, encouraging feedback about the child’s speech. Most of the time, this feedback is given when children speak fluently, and only occasionally when they stutter. At first, feedback is only given during specific times of day, but as stuttering reduces parents learn to give this feedback to their child during everyday conversations.
Parents also learn to rate their child’s stuttering once a day using a simple scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means no stuttering and 10 means severe stuttering. At each clinic visit, the parent and speech-language pathologist talk about these ratings to see how the treatment is progressing at home. This tracking helps to make sure that the treatment stays on the right path.

Lidcombe Program

Two stages of treatment

The Lidcombe Program has two stages:

Stage 1

The goal of Stage 1 is to reduce the child’s stuttering to a level where it has either disappeared or is extremely mild. Parents do the treatment at home each day and attend regular consultations with the speech-language pathologist for guidance and support.

Stage 2

The goal of Stage 2 is to gradually reduce and eventually withdraw treatment while maintaining fluent speech. Consultations with the speech-language pathologist occur less frequently during this stage, which typically lasts around a year. Because stuttering is prone to relapse, Stage 2 is crucial to give the best chance that the progress children make is maintained into the future.
Every child and family is unique, so the speech pathologist works collaboratively with parents to tailor the program to the child’s personality, interests, and the family’s routines and dynamics.

FAQs

What is stuttering?
Stuttering causes interruptions in the flow of speech. This includes repeating sounds or words, stretching out sounds, or difficulty starting a word. There may also be signs of effort or tension during speech. The severity of stuttering varies. Some people stutter only occasionally, while others stutter a lot. While stuttering is not caused by psychological factors, once it has developed it can cause psychological issues and affect quality of life for some people.
Stuttering is multifactorial—many things combine to cause it. Research shows that two factors involved in its cause are genetics and how the brain organises coordinated movements of speech muscles.
Stuttering typically emerges in early childhood as language skills develop. It is important to note that stuttering is a physical disorder, not caused by psychological factors such as anxiety, stress, or parenting style. There is no evidence that how parents communicate or interact with their child causes stuttering. However, if stuttering persists into later childhood or adolescence, psychological issues can begin to develop.
Stuttering most often begins before the age of six, commonly around three years of age. Unlike many other early speech and language difficulties, stuttering often emerges after a period of uneventful speech and language development.
Stuttering is quite common. A study found that by 36 months of age, around 8% of children had started to stutter, with additional cases emerging in later years. Onset usually occurs when children begin combining words into short sentences. It may be gradual or sudden, and the severity at onset can range from mild to severe. In some instances, the onset is so abrupt and intense that parents worry their child may have a serious medical condition.
Early signs often include repetition of words or syllables, such as “I…I…I” or “Where…where…where.” As stuttering progresses, its features may change. Children may begin to “block” as they attempt to speak. This can sound like an unexpected pause. Sound prolongations may also emerge, such as “wwwwwwwwhere is my drink?” As stuttering develops, children often show signs of physical effort and struggle while speaking.
Some children recover from stuttering without treatment, but it is not possible to predict who they will be. So early intervention is strongly recommended for stuttering, and it is important to begin treatment during the preschool years—ideally within 12 months of when stuttering first appears.
The experience of stuttering is different for everyone. While some children and adults may not be affected, others may feel anxious, frustrated, and may even avoid speaking in some situations.
Some children show signs of distress soon after onset, particularly when they struggle to express themselves clearly. As children grow older, the social and emotional effects of stuttering can become more pronounced.
School-age children often report feelings of embarrassment about their stuttering— particularly when reading aloud or answering questions in class. These experiences can affect their confidence and reduce their participation in classroom activities. Research has shown that stuttering affects education during the school years.

During adolescence and adulthood, the impact of stuttering continues to vary. While some may not be significantly affected, others may experience ongoing frustration, anxiety, or avoid speaking in certain situations. For adults whose work requires frequent or challenging communication, stuttering can interfere with vocational potential.

Stuttering can also influence social interactions and may contribute to the development of social anxiety. Research shows that adults seeking support for stuttering are at increased risk for social anxiety disorder—a condition involving fear of embarrassment and failure in social settings, particularly when speaking in front of others.

If your child has begun to stutter—even if it seems mild or if it comes and goes—it’s a good idea to talk to a speech-language pathologist. Early advice and support can make a big difference, and there are effective treatments available, like the Lidcombe Program, that are designed especially for young children. It is not advisable to wait until a child is aware of their stuttering, or distressed by it, indeed early intervention seeks to avoid these consequences.