What Is the Best Therapy for Stuttering in Children?
If your child has started stuttering, you may be wondering:
What is the best therapy for stuttering in children?
Early intervention plays a key role in reducing the severity of stuttering and supporting long-term communication confidence. Fortunately, a number of speech therapy programs for stuttering have been researched—and some, like the Lidcombe Program, show strong evidence for effectiveness, particularly for preschool-aged children.
The Lidcombe Program: Gold Standard for Childhood Stuttering
When it comes to treating stuttering in preschool children, the Lidcombe Program is the most well-researched and widely recommended approach. This program is a behavioural treatment delivered by parents under the guidance of a qualified speech pathologist. It involves daily practice sessions at home, with a focus on encouraging fluent speech and gently correcting moments of stuttering.
Research shows that this program is highly effective:
An analysis by Onslow et al. (2012) found that children receiving the Lidcombe Program were 7.5 times more likely to achieve near-zero stuttering than those who did not receive it—even before completing the full course of treatment.
de Sonneville-Koedoot et al. (2015) found that 76.5% of children treated with the Lidcombe or RESTART programs were considered nonstuttering at 18 months post-treatment.
Long-term results are also strong: Jones et al. (2008) found that most children maintained near-zero stuttering five years after completing therapy.
Other Speech Therapy Options for Stuttering
While the Lidcombe Program is the most studied, other evidence-based stuttering therapies for children also show promise:
The Demands and Capacities Model (RESTART) produced similar outcomes in some trials, helping to reduce stuttering by adjusting environmental and linguistic demands.
For school-aged children, syllable-timed speech has been shown to reduce stuttering by over 50% in many cases (Andrews et al., 2012).
Multimodal approaches—which combine behavioural therapy, speech restructuring, and even digital or cognitive strategies—are gaining attention, particularly for older children and adolescents (Johnson et al., 2023; Iimura et al., 2022). While promising, more research is needed in these areas.
What Makes Stuttering Therapy Most Effective?
Across all intervention types, the research highlights three essential ingredients for successful therapy:
Active parent involvement
Consistent, daily practice at home
Professional support from a qualified speech pathologist
Whether your child is in the early stages of stuttering or has been experiencing it for some time, early and evidence-based intervention makes a real difference.
Looking for Help with Stuttering?
Dr Kylie Smith specialises in stuttering assessment and therapy for children of all ages. She can provide individualised stuttering treatment plans grounded in current research and tailored to your child’s needs. If you’d like to learn more about the best therapy for childhood stuttering or book an assessment, get in touch here or schedule an appointment.
