A 12 year old has managed to beat his classroom bullies by correcting his stammer after working closely with those in speech and language therapy jobs.

Steven Babic from Wapping, East London used to dread returning to school after the summer break knowing he would be the butt of playground jokes, because of his speech problems.

"They'd treat me as if I was contagious or as if I was thick and it used to make me so angry and upset," he told the Daily Mail. However, for the first time since he was ten, Steven walked through the school gates with his head held high with no hint of the speech problem he had been battling.

Steven was one of 200 people annually referred to the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, based in Finsbury, North London. The centre offers specialist therapy to youngsters dealing not only with speech difficulties but also with the confidence issues often facing children that stammer.

Two specialist stammer therapists are assigned to each family. One carries out thorough speech, language and therapy assessments of the child, whilst the other discusses the parent's concerns, as well as details of the child's history and development. The centre is jointly funded by the Association for Research into Stammering in Childhood (ARSC) and Islington Primary Care Trust.

"Effective therapy doesn't always mean less stammering. It doesn't mean that it will never come back, but it does change the way children feel about their speech difficulties," said speech and language specialist Alison Nicholas. Steven's case was so severe he was recommended for a two-week intensive therapy course, with four follow up sessions with a specialist therapist for him and his parents.

"Knowing I wasn't alone boosted my confidence and made me less bothered about my stutter by the end of the course. Although my speech problems will probably come back now and then, I feel I can cope better now. I know I have to live with it and I'm determined that it won't hold me back," Steven said.