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Speech Problems - Stuttering
One of the main speech problems that many kids face is stuttering. As many as 20% of all children age 2-4 have a stuttering problem that will require therapy as well as 10% of children over age 5. When a child develops a stutter, parents are likely to be concerned immediately upon noticing it, but not all stuttering requires therapy. If your child stutters, there are a few things you should know that may help ease your concerns about it.
• Wait it out—many parents who notice a stutter in their child’s speech immediately want to take them to the doctor, but this is likely not necessary. Many children who begin stuttering, especially if they are under the age of 4, have just hit a temporary barrier. This means that they may be able to pass through the phase with no therapy required. Many doctors recommend that parents wait until their child has been stuttering for at least three months before trying to seek therapy because many children will outgrow it on their own within six months.
• Keep a journal—whether you are trying to wait it out or have already consulted your child’s pediatrician about their stuttering, it is important to keep a journal of as much information as possible. Notice the pattern of the child’s stuttering and how many times the syllables are repeated. For example, if your child says, “I w-w-want a d-d-d-drink,” pay attention to how many times you hear the “w” sound and the “d” sound. If it is common that your child repeats syllables less than three times, it may be a good sign that they will simply outgrow the stuttering. While keeping a journal of the way your child stutters, you should also keep a journal of when they seem to stutter more than others. You can do this daily, and keep track of what happened on days that your child seemed to stutter more than normal. This can help you determine if there are environmental factors that are contributing to the stuttering, such as overexcitement for some reason or varying from normal daily routines.
• Causes of stuttering—there are many different causes of stuttering, and for many children it may be a combination of several of these causes: heredity (50 % of stutterers have family members who stutter), developmental delays (sometimes there are other language problems present along with the stuttering), family life (stressful family life, or fast-paced lifestyle can contribute), and neurophysiology (the area of the brain that processes speech may be different in stutterers).
• When therapy is required—since there really is no cure for stuttering, keeping a journal and trying to eliminate triggers as much as possible will be the first step. Once this is done and your child requires speech therapy, it will be focused on helping the child learn an easier way to talk. The earlier the speech therapy begins the better chance a child has of overcoming or greatly lessening the stuttering. The therapist will also teach the child ways to communicate more effectively overall, which can help lessen stuttering. Even if the child’s stuttering doesn’t completely dissipate, it is usually made manageable by therapy.
• Making your child more comfortable—there are a few things that parents can do to try to help the child feel more comfortable and less embarrassed while stuttering. Instead of telling the child to slow down and think about what they want to say (which can frustrate the child and make stuttering worse), parents should just say something that makes it seem like less of a big deal, such as, “wow, some words are hard to say, aren’t they?” Never make your child rush to finish, because this will only make things worse for them. You should also keep in touch with your child’s teacher and keep an open dialogue with your child about what makes them more comfortable and what bothers them about the stuttering.
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