What To Know About Child Stutters

By Enid Hinton


Stuttering, also called stammering, is an issue afflicting many adults and children. This refers to a disorder of speech that causes disruptions in communication. It is often marked by prolongations, repetition, pauses and sometimes difficulty producing sounds. If a child stutters, his or her guardian is urged to get help for managing the problem.

There are certain obvious signs of this disorder. Usually these can be observed by anyone, even those who are not trained in speech pathology. People with stammering problems often have blocks of silence in their communication, as well as prolongation of sounds, and repeating of words, sounds and syllables. These are not issues that are frequently observed in those who do not have stuttering issues, as there is more fluency to their speech. The severity of a stutter will differ by individual and may also change within a person based on many factors.

Stuttering could have a negative impact on an individual, especially a child. Young kids are often teased because of this. Feelings of shame, fear, frustration, guilt, anger and embarrassment might be frequent for stutterers. This could lead to negative self-image and lack of social interaction.

No single cause is linked to developmental stuttering. In fact, there are numerous hypotheses and theories that suggest multiple factors that contribute to the problem. There is a lot of evidence that supports it being related to genetics. Although many who stammer have no family history of the speech disorder. Ultimately, each situation is different.

Prior to any treatment being offered, a person needs to be assessed to determine his or her condition. Some stuttered speech is not as easy to detect so diagnosing requires the skills of professional speech-language pathologists who are certified and knowledgeable. There is no absolute cure, but several options can help people gain control of their speech.

Many treatments center on learning new techniques that reduce the occurrence of stammering. This might involve changing breathing, reducing speed of communication, and gradual progression techniques that work on communicating from single syllables up to complex sentences. Therapies may focus on reducing anxiety that is brought on by stuttering and often the culprit for worsening the problem.

Speech language pathologists are a powerful resource for support and information. They can provide people with a variety of services, including lessons on how to monitor and control the speed at which one communicates. Those who learn to speak slowly and with less intensity can improve their stammering problems. Some might also learn new ways to regulate or check breathing. Other potential solutions for treatment include: support, medications, diaphragmatic breathing, modification therapy, fluency shaping therapy and electronic fluency devices.

Every individual is different and may require a different approach. It can take time before results are noticeable. People are encouraged to stay optimistic and follow all instructions given for treatment purposes. People who have no control over their stutter can face many obstacles in life because of it. This is why it is highly encouraged for adults to get proper diagnosis and seek help early on for children with this problem.




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