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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.
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