My Child Stutters
It is generally estimated that 20% of children will stutter at one point
or another. Most children outgrow their stuttering and become perfectly
fluent speakers.
Stuttering is however, chronic in 1% of young children. If your child
shows signs of disfluencies that last for more than a month, you should seek
the advice of a speech-language therapist. The longer you wait, the more
difficult it will be to successfully eliminate stuttering.
It is important to avoid making the child more aware of the stuttering
than he/she already is, and the advice of a speech-language therapist
should be sought first, without the child. The speech-language therapist
will then want to meet with the child for a direct assessment of any speech
disorders. This will be handled in an informal manner to avoid any anxiety
in the child.
The therapy itself is usually not carried out directly by the
speech-language therapist but rather by the parents. Slight changes in the
way the parents speak and behave with the child can increase the child's
confidence and the ability to speak fluently. The speech-language therapist
will discuss methods that can be done to achieve this.
Comprehensive Stuttering Therapy (Phillip
J. Roberts) explains in details how parents can
positively influence the speech of their child and we recommend that you
read this book before meeting with the speech-language therapist.
This book also provides in-depth information
about stuttering and this can help you understand the needs of your child.
Click here to read more about
this book.
Tips
It is not your fault that your child stutters. You can however, greatly
help diminish and/or eliminate the stuttering by slightly altering the way
you speak and communicate with your child and by enhancing the child’s self
confidence.
1 - Conspiracy of silence should be avoided. When a child
stutters, parents and other family members are often so embarrassed that
they pretend that the stuttering did not really happen. The child feels
helpless and alone with the stuttering and this only makes matters worse.
You should therefore try to speak with the child about the stuttering. Make
sure you don't show your anxiety. You should discuss stuttering in a
casual and matter-of-fact way to avoid making the child self-conscious.
2 - When talking with the child, avoid using words such as
'stuttering' or 'stammering', 'SLP' or 'speech-language pathologist'. A
child doesn't understand the meaning of these words and will perceive them
as frightening. This will unnecessarily increase the child’s awareness of
the speech disorder. Instead, you should use words that are part of the
child’s vocabulary. For example, refer to 'stuck words'.
3 - Don't tell the child to "speak slowly", to "take it easy" or
to "take a deep breath". If you do this, the child will lose confidence in
his/her ability to speak and this will increase the stuttering. You should
instead speak slowly in an unhurried way. Children tend to mimic their
parents and will speak more slowly as you slow your own speech down. Use
short sentences that a child can easily understand.
4 - If your child asks you a question, pause for a few seconds
before answering. Again, the child will mimic you and take his/her time when
speaking.
5 - When the child speaks to you, make sure you look at the child
and give the child your full attention. Stuttering usually increases when
the child has the impression that the listener is not listening. Use facial
expressions to show your child that you are listening and that the child is
getting his/her message across.
6 - Maintain eye contact with the child, even
while he/she is stuttering.
7 - Be patient with your child. Don't show that you are upset or
worried by the stuttering. Show the child that you accept him/her just the
way he/she is.
8 - Do not interrupt the child when speaking. A child is more
relaxed and less likely to stutter if it is known that he/she won't be
interrupted. Make sure that all family members take turns speaking.
9 - A child doesn't like being pressured with questions and this
is especially true with children who stutter. Avoid asking the child
questions and let the child speak about what he/she wants to talk about.
10 - Praise your child each time something is done well. This will
increase the child’s confidence. |