Stop Stuttering

Stuttering is a common speech disorder worldwide. There are millions of people who have this condition and they all need our help. We must be informed on how stuttering affects them especially the kids. Once we know how kids are being affected by this speech impediment then we can come up with ways on how we can effectively help them.

Awareness is a must

Knowledge is power. We must know what stuttering is so that we can help kids effectively. Stuttering or stammering is considered as a speech impediment that disrupts the flow of normal speech involuntarily. Ordinarily, sounds, syllables and words are repeated in a specific pattern such as “li-li-li-like that” or prolonged manner such as “llllllike that”.

Often, there is the absence of sounds in syllables and words. There are also abrupt stoppages when a person is talking. In some cases, especially in kids, stuttering begins from the start of a word or phrase. There are also cases when the difficulty is at the end of the word or phrase.

Knowing what causes stuttering are the next step to help kids who suffer from this condition. Studies have shown that causes of this speech disorder range from unknown origin at all to inherited and genetic reasons. A growing number of experts believe that stuttering is caused by genetics since there are cases that this speech impediment runs in the family.

Some experts claim that anxiety, stress, rejection and other forms of negativities can be associated to this speech problem since these factors affect the child’s ability in expressing himself.

Another cause being looked at can be traced at the stage of a child’s language development. This theory says that this speech disorder may be caused by developmental glitch when kids who are learning to talk have difficulties expressing themselves fluidly especially when it comes to expressing their needs and wants. Usually as kids grow older they naturally outgrow this disorder. The proper encouragement given by parents, siblings, teachers and peers can immensely help in the improvement of their condition.

Stuttering as some theorized is neurogenic. It means that the connection between the brain and the muscles are affected somewhere. Experts say that this is apparent to people who have suffered from mild heart attacks, cardiac arrests and repeated strokes. This is of course more applicable to older people but can manifest in kids who had accidents, head injuries and undergone operations or medical procedures.

Once you have narrowed down the possible causes of stuttering, you can now proceed with the alternative solutions available. These come in the form of therapies and drills. Nowadays, there are various therapies that can help improve this condition but still keep in mind that there is still no cure. In treating developmental stuttering, parents actively participate in restructuring the child’s speaking technique in order to reduce occurrences of stuttering.

Other effective solutions that can help improve this speech disorder are by providing a relaxed speaking environment. An environment that has few distractions can improve this condition. By refraining from being too critical about the child’s condition and practicing active listening one can help alleviate this speech flaw. There are cases that medication may be prescribed. Also, the integration of electronic devices can improve fluency.

There are also some therapies that focus on unlearning faulty ways of speaking or relearning how to speak correctly. It is still highly recommended that parents consult a competent, licensed and certified speech language pathologist to find the most appropriate treatment for their child.

Stuttering Kids

The treatment for preschoolers who stutter is different from those school aged kids. This is because both have different objectives. For preschoolers, the goal is to help the child develop normal speech. As for school aged children, the goal is to treat the causes of stuttering.

School aged kids should learn to control their physical behavior whenever they stutter. Their eyes usually blink while their bodies or heads shake. These are the physical manifestations that school aged children need to control so that their chosen therapy do not just focus on fluency.

In this manner, you will have to bring your child to a speech language pathologist. These professional are trained to work comfortably with kids at varying ages. Make sure that you are consulting a certified and licensed speech language pathologist. If you are not sure where to find one, you can always check online or phone directories. Prioritize on checking the website of the Stuttering Foundation of America.

Currently, there is no known cure yet for stuttering. Each case is unique that is why treatment for school aged kids has to be customized and personalized. You need to bring your child first to a speech language pathologist so that diagnostic exams can be done.

The therapy will vary depending on the result of the diagnostic exams. The main goal is to make sure that kids who stutter will be able to communicate freely and effectively. Since there is permanent cure yet for stuttering, you cannot expect 100% improvement in fluency to your child’s condition.

What you can expect from all these therapies is that your child can effectively deal with this speech disorder. Also, that stuttering will not in any manner inhibit them from communicating.

How does the treatment for stuttering work for kids? The process involves a number of components. Examples that are very common for kids who stutter are the physical disruptions and tension in their bodies.

If there are physical tensions in the body, a speech language pathologist can use one of several techniques such as easy starts, slow speech, easy onsets, smooth movements and easy speech. Keep in mind that it’s a trial and error stage. This will help in finding out the most effective therapy to your child’s condition.

It is common for any person who feels stuck or trapped to experience physical tension. The best thing to do is to relax. This is easier said than done though since it’s very different when a child is in the moment of stuttering. One effective technique is to let the child understand that this speech disorder is not disappearing. He or she should not fight it instead find a way to work with it in a harmonious manner possible.

This technique may sound strange, but this strategy works because the child is relaxed and more knowledgeable of his or her condition. A number of studies show that this approach lessens the stuttering and improves communication.

It takes time to treat school aged kids with this speech impediment. The specialist has to do many tests before recommending the most appropriate treatment or therapy. As a parent, the best thing you can do is cooperate with the specialist and help in the reinforcement of the lessons from each therapy learned. Unconditional love and support helps in the fast improvement of your child’s condition.

Stuttering school aged kids who do not get proper help for their conditions will definitely have problems in their adult lives. The will not be able to socialize properly. They will always lose good opportunities that will allow them to speak or share their ideas. Their development as a human being will be stunted. They will miss out a lot of things life has to offer.

Stuttering Children, Kids, School

In our daily activities, we often encounter people who have speech disorders. Stuttering is the most common among these speech impediments. It is a condition which is caused by anxiety and stress starting from the person’s early developmental stages. Nowadays, more studies show that there are a growing rate adults and kids that suffer from this speech impediment. There is a proliferation of stuttering simply because it is not addressed properly during the early stages of its growth.

Stuttering becomes a problem especially for kids who have this when they are growing up. This disorder hinders their normal communication with other kids or other people not within their age bracket. This develops into more serious psychological problems. They become so withdrawn from the outside world that they are afraid to even open their mouths to speak. They start to develop a form of defense mechanism that will protect them from rejection.

Day-to-day struggle due to stuttering

Stuttering is indeed a very serious problem for young and old people. With stuttering problems, simple daily tasks like saying their names when somebody asks for it, answering the telephone for a call or making a phone call, giving out directions for people asking, asking for specific instructions, and even ordering a meal from a fast-food store can be hugely disappointing and frustrating.

Stuttering is a very serious problem for kids and adults who are covered by the pressures of the real world. Simple tasks become a major source of disappointment and frustration. Some of the daily routine tasks that will challenge their situation are the following: Answering a phone call, making a phone call, introducing themselves in public, asking and giving instructions, etc.

Just because of this speech disorder a number of stutterers experience a lot of rejection and humiliation in the society. This inability of expressing one’s self to can actually irritate the people they converse with. When they get the feeling of indifference, they tend to isolate themselves from normal people. Studies have been conducted in schools. The results show that ninety percent of kids who do not have this speech impediment tend to bully kids who stutter.

Kids are kids. Their level of maturity is still inconsistent. Kids, who have this speech disorder, experience the harsh treatment of bullying inside the classroom, in the canteen, washroom, any single nook within the campus. There’s no escaping the constant humiliation inflicted by insensitive and ignorant kids. They think this condition is funny and it’s funnier if they make fun of the involved stutterer. The bullying continues even outside the campus.

An adult who has this condition are experiencing harsher scenarios in the workplace. Their inability to express themselves fluidly harbors more rejection from insensitive colleagues. The rejection pushes them to be introverted. It’s a domino effect. An unhealthy adult stutterer will not be able to enjoy the comforts of a normal adult in the workplace. This may also hamper their need to move up the corporate ladder.

What the society can do

Parents and siblings are the major components of the society. The understanding and acceptance should come from them unconditionally. Proper education of this condition can immensely help in the early acceptance of the stutterer’s condition. If a child has a healthy environment, it will be easier for him or her to cope with this condition.

Parents should constantly reinforce that they love their child unconditionally. No Ifs and no Buts. They should focus on the child’s special talents and skills. Let their child realize that he or she can always overcome this speech disorder. Instill to the child that dreams are free and that he or she has the same opportunity to actualize them. Encouragement plays a key role to their child’s success. Motivate them properly and their child will be impervious to any form of outside rejection.

For teachers, they should always make the child feel secure and understood whenever he or she is inside the classroom. They should avoid pressuring the child who is stuttering because the more pressure he or she feels the bigger room for mistake there is. Teachers should always act as the second parents of children in school, providing them all the support, care, and understanding they need.

The society at large can also greatly help people who are suffering from stuttering by giving them proper respect and treating them as normal people who equally deserve the rights and freedom they enjoy.

Teachers should represent the child’s parents the best way possible. A child spends a lot of time in school and without their parents’ protection; the teachers should be their source of this needed support system. Teachers should educate other kids about stuttering. Knowledge is power. The dissemination of information to other kids will greatly help in the understanding of a stutterer’s condition. In this manner, bullying will be easily eliminated.

The society can definitely help curb the rate of rejection and humiliation experienced by stutterers. The government together with private and non-government  organization should promote campaigns that will help disseminate information about stuttering. If autism gets attention from the society, stuttering deserves the same kind of attention as well.

Stuttering Kids, Solving, Teachers