There is also little agreement about what type of treatments to use with young children who have started to stutter. There is also little consensus about what treatments to use for older children and adults who stutter. Most experts do agree, however, that once stuttering is chronic, one goal of treatment is to help people control their stuttering and so make it less handicapping. One approach is for the person to find ways of making their stuttering less severe and so more acceptable in communicative situations. Another approach involves the person adopting a way of speaking that stops stuttering altogether.
Some treatments combine both approaches.
Whatever approach is adopted for older children and adults, current treatments typically address the person's attitudes to speaking and confidence in communicative contexts, as well as helping them speak more fluently. More information about treatment for stuttering is available in two articles by Professor Mark Onslow, which were published recently in Current Therapeutics. This range of available treatments may seem confusing to a parent whose child is stuttering, or to adolescents and adults who stutter and who are seeking help. Our position at the ASRC is that people seeking treatment need to be fully informed before making a decision. Our position is that published scientific evidence that supports a particular treatment is probably the most important factor to consider when deciding to participate in a treatment program.