Stammering ^. net
 

My Child Stammers

It is generally estimated that 20% of children will stammer at one point or another. Most children outgrow their stammering and become perfectly fluent speakers.

Stammering 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 stammering.

It is important to avoid making the child more aware of the stammering 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 stammering 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 stammers. You can however, greatly help diminish and/or eliminate the stammering 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 stammers, parents and other family members are often so embarrassed that they pretend that the stammering did not really happen. The child feels helpless and alone with the stammering and this only makes matters worse. You should therefore try to speak with the child about the stammering. Make sure you don't show your anxiety. You should discuss stammering 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 stammering. 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. Stammering 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 stammering.

7 - Be patient with your child. Don't show that you are upset or worried by the stammering. 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 stammer 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 stammer. 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.