Support for your Preschooler
Find resources and info that will help you support your child It’s totally natural to feel worried or upset that your child has started to struggle to get their words out, especially if they’ve been chatting away just fine until now.
This can be a common phase for many tamariki – and you are not alone.
Poipoa te kākano kia puawai
Nurture the seed and it will blossom
Early Childhood Stuttering
It’s really normal for your child’s stuttering to feel a bit like a rollercoaster – some days their talking might flow smoothly and some days not so much – it’s often influenced by tiredness, excitement, or how much your child has to say.
How You Can Help
For more info on How to Help When Your Child is Stuttering:
Talking About Stuttering
You might feel unsure about whether to talk about stuttering with your child or worry that it might make the stuttering increase. This is not the case at all – in fact, acknowledging your child’s stutter and creating an environment where they feel comfortable talking about it can be really helpful.
If your child gets upset about their talking, it’s important to be supportive and understanding. You might reassure your child by saying something like, “Hey, talking can be tricky sometimes, especially when you’re still learning.” This shows them that it’s okay to talk about their stutter and that you will always have their back.
For more info on Talking About Stuttering with Your Young Child:
When to Get Support
If any of the following situations apply to your child, please get in contact with us – we’re here to offer guidance and support:
- If your child has been stuttering for more than a few months
- If your little one is aware of their stuttering and feeling upset about it
- If you’re feeling worried about your child’s stuttering
- If stuttering runs in your whānau, suggesting a potential genetic component
- If you’ve noticed that the stuttering is happening more frequently or becoming more noticeable
- If there seems to be a lot of tension or effort when your child is talking
What Does Therapy Look Like?
We understand that every child and family is unique, which is why we offer a range of approaches tailored to what works best for your child and whānau. Our primary focus is on reducing the severity and impact of stuttering, boosting your child’s confidence, and encouraging you to feel more confident in supporting your child along the way.
No matter where you are in Aotearoa – we’re here to help and support you. If you’re in Auckland you can see us in Greenlane for face-to-face sessions.
But don’t worry – if you live somewhere else in Aotearoa – we can see you via Zoom. About 30% of the whānau we support live outside of Auckland, from Kerikeri in the North to Invercargill in the South. We’ve got plenty of experience with Zoom therapy, and it works really well – even with little ones!
Cost of Sessions
As a charitable trust, we’re committed to ensuring that our sessions and other services are accessible to everyone. That’s why we keep our rates as affordable as we possibly can. Our standard charge is $75 per session with a reduced rate of $55 for Community Service Card holders, tertiary students and senior citizens. However, if the cost is still an issue for you, please get in touch with us. We’re here to help and we’ll adjust the rate to ensure you and/or your child receive the support you need without undue financial strain.
Our sessions are heavily subsidised. If you’re in a position where you can contribute more than the standard fee, we’d be incredibly grateful for your support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child need to attend the appointments?
Ideally, we would like to see both you and your child at the appointment – both in person and online.
For online appointments, if your child is hesitant to join the call or speak with the speech language therapist, that’s ok! We won’t put pressure on your child to join or to speak. If needed, video recordings can be a helpful way to hear your child’s talking.
My child won’t sit still for an online appointment, what should we do?
This is no problem – young children can come and go throughout the appointment. While you are speaking with your speech language therapist, your child can play beside you.
How do I talk to my child about the appointment?
It’s helpful to talk to your child about the appointment ahead of time. For children who are aware of their stutter, you could say something like “We’re going to talk to someone who can help with your stutter/your stuck words/your bumpy words”. For children who are less aware, you could say “We’re going to talk to someone who helps with talking”.
What if my child doesn’t stutter during the appointment?
It’s no problem if your child doesn’t stutter during the appointment. Their talking during the appointment is a small snapshot of their talking on that particular day, and as we know stuttering often fluctuates. Our speech language therapist will ask you how their talking in the appointment compares to what it’s typically like, and may ask you to share video recordings from home.
Is START our only option for speech-language therapy?
START is the only organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand that specialises in providing therapy and support for people who stutter. However, there are other options for accessing speech language therapy:
- Ministry of Education: Children may be eligible to see a speech-language therapist (SLT) through the Ministry of Education. You can ask your child’s early childhood centre or school about making a referral. This is a free service, however please note there may be a wait time for this service.
- Private SLTs: You may also consider seeing a private SLT. We recommend choosing someone who is registered with the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association (NZSTA) and has experience working with people who stutter.
- University clinics: Universities that train SLTs also offer clinic services, where student SLTs work under supervision. You might see an SLT and/or a SLT student under supervision. Clinics are available at Massey University, the University of Auckland, and the University of Canterbury.
If you’re unsure which option might be best for your situation, feel free to get in touch—we’re happy to talk with you about this.
Sara’s Story
“To be honest, we were skeptical about having Sara’s therapy done online. We thought travelling 2.5 hrs to Auckland would be much better than video calls. We didn’t think Sara would open up when talking to somebody on a computer screen. We thought she’d be easily distracted, which is what usually happens when she’s video chatting with her grandparents who live overseas. We were also concerned that the therapist wouldn’t see Sara face-to-face and this would have a negative impact on the therapy.
We’re so happy to say we were wrong! During the first session, we noticed that Sara really enjoyed it. Anna managed to keep Sara focused by using books, games and toys and we as parents were able to sit back and see how Anna helped Sara in the conversation. It was amazing to see how much Sara enjoyed the sessions and how much we learned from it. Every week Sara looked forward to the sessions and she would bring toys, clothes and other things to show Anna, which gave her the opportunity to talk with Sara about them.
“It was amazing to see how much Sara enjoyed the sessions and how much we learned from it.”
Best of all, the fact that we weren’t meeting face to face didn’t impact the therapy negatively at all. If anything, we think it has been a benefit because we didn’t have to travel for 2.5 hrs, which would have caused Sara to be bored and tired even before the session began. Our advice to any families outside of Auckland needing help is to please; just try it and you’ll be surprised! We’re so happy that we followed Anna’s advice and tried it. It worked so much better than we thought and saved us so much time.
Play and Connect
START hosts a coffee morning each school holiday for 3 to 6 year olds who stutter and their parents and whānau. This is a great opportunity for your child to play and interact with others and for you to meet and connect with other parents over coffee.
The next Play and Connect session will be in the school holidays on Tuesday 15th April 2025.
To register your interest click here.
Stories from Play and Connect
“We loved the Play and Connect session! It was well worth travelling up from Hamilton in our holidays! Being able to talk with other parents and caregivers was invaluable, just to share our stories and hear where others are on their journey with their child was great! Brittney, one of the START SLTs facilitated a sharing circle for the parents – this was done in an inclusive way and she was able to answer some general questions and refer us on to our specific START SLT for more detailed answers. My son had a lovely time playing with the other children who were there and it was a nice opportunity to meet other children who get stuck with their words too. Thanks for hosting this event!”
– Joanna
– Parent
Let’s chat!
If you want to have a kōrero with one of our team about your child’s stuttering, we’re here to help.
You’re not alone in this – our team is here to support you.