STUTTERING THERAPY

Philadelphia Speech & Stuttering Therapy specializes in the treatment of stuttering. Stuttering varies greatly from person to person, and our individualized and holistic approach identifies your specific pattern of stuttering and designs a scientifically proven therapy program that fits your needs. Press a photo below to receive information based on the stuttering therapy that will meet your needs best.

PRE-SCHOOL

SCHOOL-AGE

ADOLESCENT & ADULT

PRE-SCHOOL STUTTERING

Pre-school

It is common for children 2-5 years old to have disfluent speech. If these disfluencies are typical (see chart below) parents need only to monitor it. However, if the child is demonstrating "atypical disfluencies" or is showing frustration with their speech, it is important to have your child screened by a speech-language pathologist.

What are some risk factors for stuttering?

Family history of persistent stuttering
Presence of other communication delays
Onset of stuttering after 3.5 years of age
Multiple & fast repetitions

Frustration with speaking
A reactive/sensitive temperament
Boys are more likely to stutter

Why is early intervention important?

Therapy for stuttering is most effective during early childhood. If you are concerned about your child's speech fluency, contact us for a free consultation!

How is therapy provided?

If your child is diagnosed with stuttering, we will work with you to implement the most effective treatment program that fits your child and your home life.

All treatment approaches for pre-school children are family-centered and have the goal of achieving normally fluent speech. Treatment methods vary according to your child's stuttering, temperament and home-environment. Dr. De Nardo is trained to provide:

Indirect treatment for stuttering
Direct treatment for stuttering
The Lidcombe Program for stuttering

Therapy can be provided in-office, in home, at school, or via telepractice.

SCHOOL-AGE

STUTTERING THERAPY

Grade-School stuttering

School-age children face demanding speech tasks such as reading out loud, speaking in groups, show and tell, socializing in the lunchroom, and many others.

These new demands create more pressure for the child to speak fluently, which can intensify stuttering or lead the child to avoid difficult words, situations, or speaking altogether. In the absence of professional help, children will often implement well-intended but unhelpful strategies to cope with stuttering, including forcing words out, switching words, or making excuses to skip verbal activities. These behaviors can become ingrained, worsen the impact of stuttering and cause feelings of shame, anxiety, helplessness, and fear.

Dr. De Nardo grew-up stuttering and knows how debilitating stuttering can be. He also knows all the "tricks" that kids do to mask or avoid stuttering that ultimately just makes stuttering a bigger problem.

You can't overcome a problem by avoiding it!

After an evaluation, we will identify your child's specific stuttering behaviors and teach them techniques to effectively reduce stuttering and avoidances to make speaking FUN, not feared.

Our approach involves a high level of involvement from parents and school staff to ensure that the strategies learned in therapy are being applied and are working in the child’s natural environment. Parents will be able to track their child’s progress and learn how to better help their child at home and in school.

“Dr. De Nardo was such a gift to our son and our family. My son is all boy, and having a male speech therapist who knew personally the same struggles with fluency and stuttering as my son made such a difference. I can't praise Dr. De Nardo enough for his patience, enthusiasm for guiding and teaching, and ability to make the speech therapy process fun. My son looked forward to his visit every week. and the tools and encouragement he gave us were incredibly empowering. It's been over a year since my son phased out of speech therapy, (thanks to Dr. De Nardo!), and he still uses the skills he learned and talks fondly of Dr.. ‘D’ ” - Sara

ADOLESCENT & ADULT STUTTERING THERAPY

Adult Stuttering

Do you fear introducing yourself because you might get “stuck” on your name?
Do you think ahead about what you are going to say and switch words to avoid stuttering?
Do you point to menu items or just order whatever is easiest to say?
Do you add extra words or sounds or physically move around unnaturally to get words out?
Do you fear using the phone and make excuses to avoid talking on the phone?

If you answered yes to any of those questions you are not alone. Over 3.2 million Americans stutter, but most of the time it feels like you are the only one. As a person who stutters myself, I know how isolating stuttering can make you feel and how just thinking about introducing myself or saying the name of my school or work was enough to make me start sweating.

After struggling with stuttering for over 20 years, I met a speech-therapist that really understood stuttering. We not only worked on reducing stuttering but also on the fear and anxiety related to stuttering. I finally found a therapy that was personalized for MY stuttering. The result: no longer did stuttering control what I said or did. Now, I was the one in control.

At Philadelphia Speech & Stuttering Therapy we believe that the best therapy is an individualized therapy. Every person who stutters has developed their own pattern of stuttering and therefore needs a tailored therapy program. Our therapy implements real-life activities to work on speech techniques and the unhelpful feelings and thoughts related to speaking. We will work on eliminating the barriers that stuttering has created for you and unlock your full potential.

A major goal of my approach is to turn you into your own therapist. By understating your stuttering behaviors and the tools necessary to manage it, you will be able to independently work on it day-to-day.

"I used to think stuttering was the worst thing that could have ever happened to me. I felt like less of a person because of it. With Dr. De Nardo's help, I have learned that stuttering is such as small part of who I am. I have learned to take control of my stuttering, instead of letting it take control of me. I use the techniques I have been taught daily. I have a much more positive view of myself and have stopped living in fear. I now believe I can and deserve to live a fulfilling life, even though I stutter."

- Isabella, 25