Empowering children who stutter to say what they want to say with confidence

If your child stutters, you probably have many questions about speech therapy. We provide individualized, holistic therapy, as well as support and education for the entire family.

How do I know if my child could benefit from stuttering therapy at AIS?

• Your child avoids speaking in particular situations (e.g., ordering food, making phone calls, participating in class)
• Your child starts speaking less overall, possibly acting shy or substituting words
• You see your child physically struggling when trying to say certain words and/or you notice blocks where your child appears to be trying to speak but no sound comes out
• Your child has been receiving speech therapy but you do not see improvement
• You are concerned that your child’s stuttering will impact him negatively in the future, socially and/or in school

If you notice any of the above, we suggest you schedule a consultation. In this session, you and your child will share your observations and concerns, learn more about the AIS therapy approach and begin to create the specific plan for treatment.

Our approach emphasizes keeping children talking by helping them remain confident in their ability to communicate effectively and manage their stuttering.

When working with pre-schoolers, we often recommend an approach that emphasizes modifying possible environmental triggers for stuttering, and empowering the family with strategies that have been shown to reduce stuttering frequency and severity.

While treatment is customized for each child, therapy typically involves:

• Reducing negative thoughts and emotional reactions to stuttering through use of cognitive-behavioral strategies, including systematic exposure to challenging situations
• Learning to physically manage moments of stuttering without struggle and secondary recoil behaviors
• Learning advocacy skills. These include helping parents advocate appropriately for their child who stutters and facilitating the child’s ability to do so for himself.
• Improving overall communication skills (e.g., eye contact, story-telling and public speaking skills, etc.)

AIS customizes therapy according to the unique needs of each child and his or her family.

Get started

Services are available in New York City, Atlanta, and Online. To schedule your initial consultation, contact AIS at (212) 633-6400 or at speakfreely@stutteringtreatment.org. You can also contact AIS directly here.

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