An Introduction to Camps for Children Who Stutter: What They Are and How They Can Help

Abstract

Stuttering therapy for children, both preschool and school-age, has been offered in a variety of settings and formats, for example in schools, university clinics, outpatient clinics, and private practices. Therapy itself is offered either in a group setting or a one-to-one basis in many of these settings. In recent years, there has been an increase in specialized camps (generally offered in the summer) for children who stutter. Camps for children who stutter vary in duration and offer a combination of group and individual therapy in addition to activities designed to address the affective and cognitive aspects of stuttering and increase overall communicative effectiveness. This paper provides an overview and description of five such camps for children who stutter to help spread awareness and familiarize the listener with the role camps play in helping children who stutter. Preliminary outcome data on the various goals targeted within some of the camps is included; however, that is not the purpose of this paper.