Come and see us at STAMMAFest Global!

An estimated 8% of children aged 2 to 5 are affected by developmental stammering, the most common type of stammering. Up to 3% of people continue stammering into adulthood – that’s around 1.5 million adults in the UK. Speech and language therapists play a unique role in identification and assessment of children and adults who stammer, and which affects their communication.

The event is taking place in Liverpool between 24-28 August. The RCSLT will have a stand there, where you can drop by and say hello to members of our team.

Automated telephone services

Ahead of the event the RCSLT has produced a statement on automated telephone services, which can act as a barrier to people who communicate differently or with difficulty.

Paul O’ Meara, a person with a stammer:

“As a stammerer, when I use the telephone and am greeted with an automated service, I’m filled with dread and panic, and minus the lack of any personal interaction, there is simply no way for me to navigate it.

“All stammerers are different, some may have particular sounds or letters that are difficult to say, and that one word that’s required could be the hardest thing for them to say. So having the potential to reach a real person by physically pressing a key, rather than speaking the preferred option, is essential.”

• Read the full statement (PDF).
• Follow all the action at StammaFest using the hashtag #ItsHowWeTalk.
• Further information on stammering, also known as dysfluency, is available on our website.

We are very grateful to Paul and to our members, Jennifer Benson, Ashleigh Denman, Kirsten Howells, Elaine Kelman and Gillian Rudd, for working with the RCSLT on the statement.