Charity support gives children who stammer thrilling forest skills experience

Children who stammer were given the chance to experience a thrilling forest skills experience with the Speech and Language Therapy Service at Sheffield Children’s.

Thanks to Charity support children who stammer were encouraged to take part in group challenges in a supportive and sensitive environment. Led by the Rivelin Woodland Skills, they took part in fun team-building activities including building a trebuchet to fire water balloons and playing outdoor team games. This aimed to help young people build confidence in meeting others and participating in group tasks, by giving them a rewarding shared experience.

Above all, the day allowed the young people to connect with others who stammer from across South Yorkshire, allowing them to interact in a space that welcomed stammering and allowed the young people to discuss and share their experiences on their own terms.

The Speech and Language Therapy Service at Sheffield Children’s is made up of clerical support staff, Speech and Language Therapy Assistants, and Speech and Language Therapists. The team help to identify children’s speech and language strengths and needs; and support the development of skills in children through their carers and teachers, to enable children to maximise their potential. The Specialist Stammering Team are based at Flockton House in Nether Edge and provide services for children, young people and adults in the Sheffield area who stammer.

The Specialist Stammering Team held a smaller version of the forest skills event in 2023 and found it hugely beneficial to the young people who attended. They saw that while taking part in team-building activities, the group chatted and worked together more than they had ever seen them do in an indoor clinical setting. After this success, the team were excited to extend the event to even more young people in 2024.

The Clinical Lead for Stammering at Sheffield Children’s, Claire Bull, said: “Stammering is much more than the physical interruptions in the flow of speech. Over time, and often as a result of stigma and unhelpful responses from others, young people may start to develop negative thoughts and feelings towards their stammer, which can impact their social and emotional wellbeing. They may also start to avoid speaking situations and so meeting new people and taking part in group events can feel very challenging.”

Claire Bull added: “Knowing you are ‘not the only one’ can be a life-changing experience for young people who stammer. We hope that the experience will help the young people to move closer to embracing stammering as a small part of their wonderful selves and reduce the feelings of anxiety and shame that can accompany this speaking difference.”

Claire ran the event with Barnsley Speech and Language Therapist Nic Maddy, offering the event to young people across more of the region.

The event was held to celebrate International Stammering Awareness Day which falls on 22 October each year and aims to raise awareness and work towards creating a world that understands, accepts, and supports people who stutter. There are an estimated 70 million people who stammer, or stutter, making up 1% of the global population. People who stammer, Speech and Language Therapists, and stammering allies come together on ISAD to celebrate, and while it is held online lots of in-person events and activities are held across the world.

By supporting The Children’s Hospital Charity, you help services like Claire’s go above and beyond for the children and young people that they see.

Find out more about the Stammering Service at Sheffield Children’s.

Learn more about how to support people who stammer and help to create a world that understands stammering, at www.stamma.org

You can also donate to the Charity to support projects like this.