Things You Should Know About Stuttering

Written by Vince Borg


Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist
B.Sc, B.Sp.Path, C.P.S.P

The most common cause of stuttering is when children are learning how to speak.

As their brain processes thousands of new words and sounds, some will develop a speech impediment that goes away on its own.

However, others may need treatment from an experienced therapist in order not only to alleviate the issue but also to strengthen fluency over time with regular practice.

There are no one-size fits all approach here because everyone has different needs depending upon why they struggle so much at this stage during development.

What causes stuttering

The “language explosion” during the preschool years is when stuttering can start to occur.

This period of rapid development in speech-related skills occurs because child’s neural networks are having trouble coordinating with one another and their cognitive abilities, which results in them being more likely candidates for developing an accent or pause.

Stuttering affects the voice and other parts of our bodies, such as articulation and sound production. It’s no wonder then that it may be connected to ADHD!

How to distinguish if the stuttering warrants treatments

If your child is stuttering, it’s important to know that most preschool-age children outgrow the condition without treatment.

However, suppose you notice their speech problem lasts longer than six months or starts after the age of 3½. In that case, we recommend seeing a specialist for evaluation and diagnosis so you can figure out what’s causing this.

Whether a child stutters or not, it’s important to come in if they’re demonstrating tension and/or developing a negative attitude about the way he speaks.

Some parents may notice secondary characteristics that are reactions to their own speech problems like Escape Behaviours such as eye blinking excessively; use of fillers words like “um” etc., avoidance behaviour where kids abandon thoughts mid-sentence by changing what word will come out next – all habits which can stem from feeling anxious while speaking aloud.

How Important To seek therapy for children Who Stutters

Stuttering can have a serious impact on one’s life.

Yes, it is best to treat fluency disorders early so that children do not learn negative coping mechanisms like holding back from saying what they really want or avoiding speaking situations at school in order to avoid stutterings when peer pressure becomes too much–and even preventing them from experiencing the latter half of childhood all together!

What to expect during an evaluation

We listen to the patient carefully and try our best not to be distracted by their occasional repetition.

Kids who pause before speaking or repeat words without tension usually aren’t experiencing any problems, but if they prolong sounds for too long, then this could indicate that something is wrong with them mentally- which would require treatment

A typical disfluency occurs when someone forgets what he/she is going to say in the first place; it’s called “phonic block.”

However, some adults experience these types of errors more often than others do because there can sometimes arise from illiteracy issues (not being able to read), and dysarthria disease causing difficulty breathing during inhalation.

What a treatment usually includes

The common goal of therapy is two-fold: first,  to develop an encouraging attitude about speaking and second, to reduce the severity & frequency of stuttering.

Stuttering can be a very difficult thing to live with, but there are ways that you might not know about.

One of the more popular treatments for preschoolers and school-aged children alike involves using techniques like praised talking (a program where parents tell their child how proud they are when he/she talks without stammering), teaching yourself new sounds slower than normal speech rate, so it becomes easier over time as well technique known scientifically as ‘time compression’ which helps ease tension during production; all these things work together in order decrease frequency rates significantly!

How can a parent help the treatment?

When children are diagnosed with a speech-language disorder, the first priority is to work on their communication skills.

However, we also focus attention outside of verbal expression, including physical activities like playing games or drawing pictures, because it’s important for them not just to say what they do but to show us too!

Parents should demonstrate acceptance towards any stutter while minimising reactive behaviour from others, leading to more episodes due to anxiety/worried feelings about sounding different from other kids.

This will help break down those vicious cycles where adults have negative thoughts.

Things to keep in mind

-It can be tempting to finish a child’s thoughts when they stutter, but this will only breed more anxiety. Instead, let them discover their own voice and how it feels in the process of speaking without interruption from others!

-Modelling an easy, relaxed way of talking can help them to feel more natural.

-Honesty is the key to overcoming stuttering. If a child mentions their vocal difficulties, it’s important that you acknowledge them too!

A big part of being honest with your children about what they are experiencing—whether it’s getting hurt at school or having trouble making friends because everyone thinks he’s weird —can help alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness, which lead back to self-consciousness around speaking publicly.”

-The most important thing to remember when listening is that you need not agree with what your children are saying.

The point of conversation isn’t always for one party or another in order to find agreement, but rather understanding their perspective so as much can be said without disagreement getting between people who may share common goals and interests (whether these happenstances encompass family topics such as motherhood; casual conversations concerning friends’ weekend adventures).

Conclusion

There is a small chance that you or your child will experience stuttering. 5% – 10% of all children go through periods where they have trouble speaking fluently, but most kids outgrow this speech disorder by adulthood!

Symptoms can include prolongations (looking past the end), repetitions/re below wrong word(s) multiple times in a row, and pausing between sentences while trying to speak competently.

Although the causes of stuttering are not clearly understood, evidence suggests that atypical brain wiring—not underlying anxiety–is its root cause.

Speech therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy can help people who speak with more fluency by teaching them how to become aware when they’re about ready for a word, so it doesn’t come out sounding like they’re struggling or avoiding speech altogether.

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