The Basics For Helping Child Stutters

By Leslie Ball


For many people, speech is the main way in which we communicate. Stammering or stuttering refers to a problem that people who are young or old might suffer with. The word stuttering is the medical term used to describe a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is interrupted, often resulting in prolongation of speech and repetition. Sometimes these people have pauses or blocks in their speech in which they are unable to formulate sounds. Parents or guardians who recognize a child stutters should get them diagnosed and treated promptly.

There are specific signs to look out for then identifying this problem. Generally, these can be observed through breaking down speech fluency. People that has this problem typically repeat words, syllables, phrases or sounds. They may also have blocks of silence in their communication and prolong different sounds. This is not common for people who do not have a stammering disorder. The severity of the stutter will vary by person and may even be inconsistent within a person.

Many people struggle with stuttering, especially kids. Children may have to face bullying or teasing, especially if they have speech problems. People who stammer are more likely to feel shame, guilt, fear, embarrassment, anger and frustration because of it. This could lead to development of negative self-image. It can also cause a person to become anti-social, which is a concern for the young because social interaction is fundamental to child development.

There is no exclusive cause tied to developmental stammering, only hypotheses and theories. Adequate evidence is available to back the theory that this is related to genetics. Children who have first-line family members with a stutter are more likely to develop the problem. Contrastingly, there are many stutterers who do not have a family history of this disorder. The problem may be more present in young kids who have concomitant language, motor, speech or learning difficulties.

Prior to treatment, patient assessment is necessary. Sometimes the stammering is hard to pinpoint by those who are not certified speech-language pathologists, also called SLPs. There is no cure for a lot of people with this. However, many solutions can be employed to aid in controlling speech.

A lot of treatments are based around teaching methods that aid in reducing stuttering by breath regulation, talk speed reduction, and working on single syllables to long words and complex sentences. Certain therapies are used to limit any anxiety that might develop because of these speech problems. Sometimes anxiety becomes so overwhelming that it makes the stammering worse.

SLPs are the best professionals to work for on these cases. They aid patients with monitoring and controlling speech. People who can learn to speak slower and without any physical tension are expected to see improvements in their condition. They may also learn new techniques for breathing, including how to regulate it. Other solutions employed as treatment: modification therapy, electronic fluency devices, medication, diaphragmatic breathing and support.

Every person will require a different approach and see unique results. It can take time for results to be noticed. Still, it is important to stay optimistic and follow directions given by the SLP. Stutterers might have a lot of obstacles to deal with as a result of their condition, which is why children should be properly diagnosed and treated early on.




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