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Help for Children Who Stammer

The Michael Palin centre for stammering children will receive £340,000 to provide schools with information, advice and training materials on how to help children and young people who have a speech impairment

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It is estimated that five per cent of children experience some problems with their fluency as they grow up. Many people often underestimate the effects of stammering on a child's confidence and development. It has a real impact on not only their academic life but their social life also. Children may become withdrawn or anxious and are often the subject of bullying as other children notice that it is something that the majority of children do not suffer from. This invaluable funding will enable schools to better meet the needs of this vulnerable group of children and young people.

Secretary of state for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls says,

‘The training and information that schools will receive as a result of this funding will mean they can better understand the condition and how best to support pupils who stammer. Our aim is to make this the best place in the world for our children to grow up, and for children and young people with stammers we can do that by providing the help and support they need to make the most of their talents.'

The Government has also invested in measures to address children's speech, language and communication needs. Through initiatives such as the Children's Centre programme, the number of speech and language therapists have increased by over a third between 1997 and 2006, enabling greater access to the therapy they offer.

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