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My child stutters – what are my options?

Best resources for speech therapy at home! We cover parenting tips & speech and language development to bring you all you need to know to keep your child thriving.

FAQ’S ( Frequently Asked Questions)

Is Stutter Stars a subsitute for speech and language pathologists?

It is really hard to substitute help from an experienced speech and language pathologist (SLP). For clients working together with an SLP, the SLP can create a unique therapy that combines live therapy with video game play. Hybrid therapy can explore aspects of stuttering beyond motoric and behavior techniques for improving fluency, such as feelings and attitudes towards stuttering in general.

Many people who live in remote areas or who do not have access to a fluency specialist nearby can still greatly benefit from the Stutter Stars (formerly known as Fluency Friends).  The stuttering techniques applied in the game are from decades of research from some of the top board-certified stuttering specialists and researchers in the field. We know the techniques you will see in the game are beneficial. In addition, scaffolding, feedback, and support are continuously given throughout the game. Anyone who plays the game will learn a new technique of speech production with hours of opportunities to practice.

What is stuttering?

Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized by disruptions in the flow of speech. These disruptions, called disfluencies, can take the form of repetitions, prolongations, or blocks. Stuttering is also associated with unnaturalness (aprosodic) speech due to inconsistent airflow.

 

Stuttering often varies in severity and frequency, depending on the speaking situation, stress level, or fatigue.

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What causes stuttering?

Research has shown that stuttering happens when there is a legion or disruption at the level of the striatum. The striatum is a part of the brain deep within the Basal Ganglia and is responsible for speech timing, initiation, and rhythm.

 

Daily practice for 15 minutes over an 8 week period shows new neural connections that can be made permanent. Practice truly makes progress!

Most Common Techniques?

Stuttering modification focuses on understanding stuttering, reducing fear, and learning techniques like pull-outs, where you ease out of a stuttered word smoothly. Instead of avoiding or fighting stuttering, the goal is to stutter more comfortably and communicate confidently.

 

Fluency shaping teaches how to produce more fluent speech by modifying speaking patterns. This includes easy onset, light contact, continuous phonation, pausing/chunking, and prolonged speech.

 

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing one’s attention to the present moment. It has been linked to a variety of mental and physical health benefits, such as reducing stress, improving emotional regulation, enhancing focus, and promoting overall well-being.

 

Prosody  (natural sounding speech) includes changes to pitch, loudness/stress, rhythm, and rate of speech.

 

Desensitization involves gradually exposing  people who sutter to challenging speaking situations and practicing stuttering openly. This process builds confidence, decreases emotional reactions, and fosters acceptance, making it easier to communicate despite stuttering.

Why Stutter Stars?

It combines all the best motor speech techniques used by the best stuttering experts. Plus – it’s bundled in a video game that will MOTIVATE your child to practice.

Stutter Stars was already developed by some of the most skilled speech recognition engineers. Your VOICE is the JOYSTICK. As you play, you get IMMEDIATE feedback, and the game adapts to your child’s performance.

 

Stutter Stars monitors your progress and provides guidance in the areas that could use more practice.

Download The App

Stutter Stars has been used by more than 3,000 unique users from over 190 countries.

Stutter Stars logo as depicted when opening up the video game developed by SAY IT Labs