CASLPA celebrates International Stuttering Day on October 22

King George VI recognized the importance of speech therapy to treat his stuttering nearly 100 years ago, and it is just as important today. The Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists celebrates the important work of speech-language pathologists to help people who stutter on International Stuttering Day October 22.

Stuttering is a communication disorder that involves disruption in the normal flow of rhythm of speech. Characteristics can include repetition of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, hesitations, prolongations or interjections. As a result, people who stutter often have trouble communicating effectively with others.

Speech-language pathologists (S-LP) play an important role in the prevention, assessment, and treatment of stuttering and other communication disorders. Represented by the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA), S-LPs work in communities across Canada at hospitals, rehabilitation centres, health clinics, schools and in private practice.

"If parents are concerned about their child's fluency they should contact an S-LP as soon as possible to get advice," said CASLPA member and speech-language pathologist Dr. Marilyn Langevin. "Together, they can determine whether the child is stuttering or is at risk for stuttering and if monitoring or a full assessment is needed."

Dr. Langevin, who is acting director and director of research at the Institute of Stuttering Treatment and Research, stressed that early intervention is key to effective results.

"Although research shows that some preschoolers will naturally recover from stuttering," she said, "we don't yet have the means to predict which children will or will not outgrow stuttering. Early assessment and treatment is critical. Our aim is to prevent the potentially lifelong debilitating effects of stuttering."

If you or someone you know has a suspected communication disorder such as stuttering, CASLPA recommends contacting a speech-language pathologist. CASLPA represents the professional needs of more than 5,500 speech-language pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel.