Children Who Stutter Are In-Born?
The National Stuttering Association calls stuttering a “debilitating handicap” affecting 4 million American families and 60 million households worldwide. “Classic stuttering is known as developmental stuttering and typically begins in early childhood [average ages 2 to 8] but sometimes sets in closer to adolescence,” explains Catherine S. Montgomery, executive director for the American Institute for Stuttering. “Acquired stuttering into teen years or adulthood is extremely rare and usually occurs because of some sort of brain trauma or injury [such as stroke or accident with head injury].” The best way to approach help for children who stutter is to catch the problem early-on and seek activities to help alleviate the slip-ups.
Parent reaction is particularly important in encouraging a child who stutters to speak more fluently. Sometimes it’s a knee-jerk reaction to correct people who stutter by interjecting the attempted word as it should be said. Other times, parents aren’t sure what to say and authoritatively command their kids to “think before speaking,” “focus and try again” or “slow down.” Unfortunately, these sentiments of disappointment or alarm can undermine a child’s self-confidence and create a flood of negative emotions that accompany the act of communication. In most cases, stuttering and anxiety go hand-in-hand. While younger children may be able to shrug it off, elementary school kids, teenagers and adults develop aversions and deep-seated insecurities associated with language that makes treatment more challenging. Therefore, it’s important that parents meet with local community support groups to learn more about childhood stuttering.
One place to find resources focusing on children who stutter is the Stuttering Foundation of America website at www.stutteringhelp.org. They sell book titles like Stuttering and Your Child: Help for Parents, Stuttering: Basic Clinical Skills, If Your Child Stutters: a Guide, Working With Pre-schoolers Who Stutter: Successful Intervention Strategies, Stuttering: For Kids By Kids, Sometimes I Just Stutter (ages 7+) and Trouble At Recess (ages 4+). Additionally, there are also DVDs for sale that accompany many of their top-selling books. These inexpensive resources can help families of kids with speech disorders understand the condition better.
Over at www.superduperinc.com/search/topicSearch.aspx?id=24, parents can find a number of resources aimed at children who stutter. For instance, there is an “Elephone” reading and listening device, a “Fluency River” board game, the “Story Starters” game and the “Holiday/Seasonal Chipper Chat.” Researchers say the best way for children to overcome their speech difficulties is by repetition and desensitization. If they feel that their speech problems are a natural part of learning that can be sorted out with practice, then they are more likely to succeed.
Jeremy Larson is a foremost expert in acid reflux wedge. His work has been extensively published in various online publications in this area. For more information on the treatment for acid reflux, visit remedyforacidreflux.com.
