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. It can
also be a huge problem for the parents.
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.
