The Basics For Helping Child Stutters

By Leslie Ball


Stuttering or stammering is the name for a problem that people young and old might deal with. The term stuttering refers to a speech disorder that disrupts the normal flow of speech, often causing repetition, or the prolongation of syllables, words, phrases or sounds. There might also be blocks or pauses in the speech of a stutterer, which is often because they are unable to produce any sound. Guardians or parents who notice that a child stutters should get them diagnosed and helped as soon as possible.

There are certain markers that can be used to identify this disorder. In general, these are signs that can be observed in the breakdown of speech fluency. People with
this problem are expected to repeat phrases, words, sounds or syllables. They might also communicate with blocks of silence and have prolongation of various sounds. These are not normally seen in people without a stammering issue. The severity of the disorder will differ by person and might even be inconsistent within an individual.

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.

Patient assessment will be necessary before any treatment is given. Sometimes stammering can be difficult to pinpoint by people who are not certified speech-language pathologists or SLPs. For most people, there is no definitive cure. Still, many techniques can be used to improve the communication skills of a stutterer.

Most treatments are centered on learning methods that help limit the stutter by regulation of breath, reduction of talk speed, and gradually working from single syllables onto long words and then complex sentences. Specific therapies are focused on limiting anxiety that might develop as a result of these communication troubles. Sometimes, the anxiety makes the stuttering even worse.

SLPs are ideal professionals to work with in these situations. They help patients in controlling and monitoring their speech. Those who learn to speak at a slower pace and without physical tension are more likely to see improvements in their stuttering. They might also learn new approaches to breathing, including those necessary for regulating it. Other options used for treating this disorder: diaphragmatic breathing, modification therapy, support, electronic fluency devices and medication.

All people will require their own solutions and see results manifest in a different way. It might take time before improvements are noticeable. Still, people should remain optimistic and in compliance with SLP orders. Stutterers may be faced with more obstacles because of their speech issues, which is why kids should be correctly diagnosed and treated early.




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