Diaphragmatic Breathing: A Helpful Tool for Kids Who Stutter

Stuttering can be a challenging communication barrier for many children. It can affect their confidence, social interactions, and overall enjoyment of speaking. One of the first steps speech therapists teach to support kids who stutter is diaphragmatic breathing. This form of breathing fosters both physical and mental benefits, creating a solid foundation for easier, relaxed speech.

What is Diaphragmatic Breathing?

‍Also referred to as abdominal breathing, belly breathing, or deep breathing, is breathing using the diaphragm rather than the chest cavity while breathing to promote greater breath support for speech, improve fluency, and reduce tension when talking.

How does this help improve my child’s fluency?

1. Enhances Breath Control: Learning to breathe deeply and steadily allows children to have better control over their speech. When they're aware of their breath, they're less likely to feel rushed or pressured while speaking.
2. Reduces Tension: By focusing on breathing deeply from the diaphragm instead of the chest, your child can alleviate tension in the chest area, which is crucial for voice production. This reduction in tension can allow their words to flow more smoothly and with less tension.
3. Reduces Anxiety: Many children who stutter experience anxiety around speaking situations. Diaphragmatic breathing activates the body's relaxation response, helping to calm nerves and create a more positive speaking experience.
4. Promotes Relaxation: This technique encourages relaxation in both the body and mind. When children are relaxed, their speech tends to flow more freely, helping to ease tension.
5. Supports use of fluency shaping strategies: Many fluency strategies taught in speech therapy require increased breath support. By fostering deeper, more controlled breathing, your child can more effectively implement these strategies, promoting easier speech production and greater communication confidence.

How do I work on Diaphragmatic Breathing at home? 

Encourage your child to work on diaphragmatic breathing (we call this “belly breathing in sessions) at home.

• You can practice this sitting or lay down. 
• One hand on chest, one hand on belly/stomach. 
• Breath in slowly through the nose, feel the air expanding your belly (we don’t want rising of the shoulders or chest ideally)
• Breath out slowly through the mouth
• It can be helpful to use the following verbal cues: “breath in through your nose-smell the flowers, breath out through your nose-blow out the candle.”  
• Try to practice for a few minutes or just try to take 10 slow, belly breaths. 

Increased breath support in functional words:  

• After warming up using diaphragmatic breathing as described above, encourage your child to practice using their diaphragmatic breath and producing a single word on the exhale. 
  
  • In speech therapy sessions children work on using improved breath support while saying meaningful words such as family and friend’s names, preferred activities, and places.