Many
of us had gone through a stage during our childhood
when our speech was uneven, characterised by start-and-stop
manner of speaking. Usually, children are not aware
that there is something wrong with such speech pattern.
In due course, as children grow, speaking becomes
easier and easier.
But many children
suffer from speech problems, like severe stuttering.
Considering its characteristics, stuttering can
cause stress and can affect a child's social relationships.
What is stuttering?
Many
children, especially those aged between two and
five, have difficulties in speaking smoothly. Many
of them repeat the first word many times before
they form a whole sentence.
Others
even have a hard time completing a word. Others
inject lots of "ands", "uhs", or "ums" while forming
sentences. Some stop and start new sentences.
These
are not considered stuttering. Basically, stuttering
starts when a young child begins to show more obvious
difficulties.
For
instance, rather than repeating an entire word,
many young children begin to repeat fragments of
words. This occurs every few words. In some cases,
even more often.
Stuttering
further develops in the stage when a child becomes
very self-conscious about the way he speaks.
He twitches his face
in disappointment; he tries to move his mouth, but
he cannot say a word.
A stuttering
child may exclaim out words and sentences in a hurry.
He may blurt it out in an uncommonly loud voice.
Because they are ashamed, many stuttering children
avoid talking as much as possible.
"Children
with speech difficulties need to feel loved. You
can help your child by making him comfortable with
himself. It will surely help balance the inevitable
loss of self-esteem and the self-consciousness caused
by stuttering."
Start
to Care
o Many
children have experienced stuttering during early
childhood. Some of them outgrow the problem easily,
while others have a more difficult time resolving
it. Others suffer from severe stuttering as well:
o Many
young children stutter in over half of the sentences.
Some repeat each syllable more than four or five
times. They also experience frequent "blockages".
This happens when they cannot produce a sound despite
clear effort;
o Stuttering
can go on for months. In this case, stuttering is
not likely to resolve itself on its own. At this
point, the stuttering child's frustration and disappointment
is probably rising;
o Children
who have severe stuttering show negative emotional
response, like self-deprecating statements, avoidance
of speaking, turning red, and tense facial and neck
muscles.
Stopping
Stuttering
o Don't
look as if you're conscious about your child's speech
difficulty. What you have to do is to listen carefully
and try to understand what he is trying to say.
o Don't
tell your child to "speak clearly" or to "slow down".
The point is, speech should appear natural, not
slower.
o Make
a rule in the family stating that everyone must
wait until the other person is finished speaking
before saying anything. Your child will be pressured
if he feels he must talk fast to be heard.
o Make
a rule in the family that prohibits teasing about
stuttering. Any bantering or mockery about stuttering
will increase your child's self-consciousness and
will damage his self-esteem, making the problem
worse.
o Have
fun together. Plan fun activities that focus on
language and speech. For example, playing with blocks,
planting a garden, charades, or outdoor play. Know
what really interests your child, and allow him
to take the lead.
o Maintain
a predictable and relaxed schedule, with ample time
for sleep. This comfortable approach will make your
child feel more secure. This will also help him
handle developmental challenges, such as talking.
o Children
with speech
difficulties need to feel loved. You can help your
child by making him comfortable with himself. It
will surely help balance the loss of self-esteem
and the self-consciousness caused by stuttering.
If you focus too much on his speech difficulties,
remember to reflect on your child's other positive
aspects.
Busting
Myths on Stuttering
Myth
# 1: Children who stutter are unintelligent.
Truth:
There is completely no relation between stuttering
and intelligence. In fact, many stuttering children
are extremely intelligent. Some deliver very well
in the classroom, while others have average intelligence.
Others, however, perform quite poorly, when compared
to average students.
Myth
# 2: Stress or bad parenting causes stuttering.
Truth:
No one really knows the causes of stuttering, though
genetic factors appear to be involved. Stress usually
stimulates stuttering for those who have a high
tendency to stutter. This claim, however, lacks
supporting evidence. Many doting and caring parents
have raised children who stutter. Therefore, bad
parenting is an unlikely cause of stuttering.
Myth
# 3: Tell a child to "speak clearly", "slow
down,", etc. will help stop stuttering.
Truth:
On the contrary, telling your child these will only
make him more self-conscious, which worsens the
problem. There are more helpful responses than these.
All you have to do is to listen to your child patiently.
Model clear and slow speech yourself, and make out
what he is trying to say.
Myth
# 4: All children outgrow stuttering.
Truth:
Although many children outgrow stuttering, it does
not improve on its own all the time. If stuttering
continues over six months or if there are other
symptoms that manifest in your child, then you should
seek professional help. Sooner, not later.
Myth
# 5: Children can have a control over their
stuttering. They only need to try.
Truth:
The truth is, the more a child tries to control
the muscles involved in speech, the more difficult
and laborious speaking becomes. This will only worsen
the problem.
Myth
# 6: Ignoring stuttering completely is the best
remedy.
Truth:
While parents should not focus too much on their
child's stuttering, it certainly does not help if
they pretend the problem does not exist at all.
Stuttering children know the problem very well,
and pretending that there is no problem suggests
that the parents are uncomfortable in handling stuttering.
Myth
# 7: Stuttering can be caused by listening to
others stutter.
Truth:
There is no basis for this claim at all. Stuttering
is not caused by merely listening to others stutter,
but by genetic and some other factors.
Visitors
who read this article also read these:
-
Speech
& Language Development
-
Dealing
with speech problems
Back
to Top
^
