Team T 'n' T | LANDY RALLY 2007

The British Stammering Association

British Stammering Association www.stammering.org www.justgiving.com/teamtnt

This is a charity close to my heart. As a speech and language therapist, I work with children who stammer (or 'stutter') and I often see at first hand the difficult times parents and children experience, when a child first starts to stammer. I also see the relief when parents and teachers / pre-school staff find they can do something about it and help to support the child. Older children and young people often find innovative ways to describe their difficulties and help themselves as well.

The British Stammering Association (BSA) have a key role in this. They are a national charity for children and adults who stammer. They provide information, advice and resources for people who stammer, parents and professionals. In particular, I have found their leaflets invaluable whilst working with children and families and whilst training other professionals, e.g. Health Visitors. The BSA organise conferences and raise awareness, e.g. through the Pre-school Dysfluency Campaign. Their helpline is run by a team of staff and volunteers who fully appreciate how difficult it can be to talk and stammer on the
telephone.

KEY FACTS

Did you know?....

Under Fives
It is widely accepted that 5% of children under the age of five will go through a phase of stammering at some stage in their speech and language development (that's around 188,000 pre-school age children in Britain)
Up to a quarter of these children are at serious risk of developing chronic stammering which may persist into adulthood without intervention during the pre-school years.
In the under fives twice as many boys stammer as girls.

School-Age Children
From research studies it is estimated that 1.2% of all school-age children stammer (that's 109,000 children between the ages of 5-16 years old in the UK).

Adults who stammer
Figures on stammering in adulthood show that 1% of the adult population stammer (that's around 459,000 adults in Britain).
About 3.5 to 4 men stammer for every woman who stammers.

Stammering can be a serious communication problem in a society that takes fluency for granted. It can undermine a person's confidence and self esteem; impede their education and hamper employment prospects. But it shouldn't! The BSA aims to support people who stammer and create a world that understands stammering.

Please support the BSA by donating on-line at www.justgiving.com/teamtnt .

Lu British Stammering Association

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