Stuttering is a Disorder, not a Disease

Stuttering is a speech disorder where the individual’s natural flow of speech is disrupted by frequent repetitions or prolongations of certain sounds, syllables and words. Sometimes, this makes it impossible to even start a word.

Aside from difficulty in speaking, this is usually accompanied by raid eye blinks, tremors of the lips or jaw and in the upper body. Stress makes the situation even worse when he or she has to speak to a large crowd or talk on the phone. However, this changes when one is singing or speaking alone.

This disorder is also known as stammering. It should be pointed out that this is different from two other speech disorders namely cluttering and spasmodic dysphonia.

Studies show that there are 3 million Americans that stutter. This starts at the age of 2 to 6 since this is the time that they are still developing language. This ratio between boys and girls is 3 to 1. The good news is that many children outgrow this and only a small percentage of those who suffer are adults.

But what causes people to stutter? There are many forms and some scientists believe that this is genetic because it is developmental. Others argue that this is neurogenic which means that signal problems between the brain and the nerves causes this to happen. As a result, the brain is not able to coordinate properly the different components of speech. This can also happen if the person suffered from a stroke or other form of brain injury.

Stuttering may also originate in the mind or what is known as psychogenic but this only accounts for a small number of sufferers.

The best person to diagnose if you are stuttering is with the help of a speech language pathologist even if it is quite obvious by how you speak. This person is trained to conduct a variety of tests so it will be easy to prescribe proper treatment.

But at present, there is no available cure for stuttering. Treatment can only improve the person’s condition given that the majority of those who stutter are “behavioral.”

The program is designed to teach the patient to monitor the rate at which they speak. They will also learn to say words slower usually short phrases first until such time that they can speak much faster and longer sentences.  Follow up sessions are needed to prevent relapse making this a life long problem.

Aside from the patient, the parents should also be educated so they know what to do when you stutter. It is best that they provide a relaxed home environment that allows the child to speak. If the child should stutter, they should refrain from criticizing as this has negative effects. Parents can also help by speaking slowly and in a relaxed manner as this will also be followed. 

Some doctors have utilized medications and electronic devices to treat stuttering. Unfortunately, the use of drugs often causes side effects and relying on a machine makes it hard to carry around especially when there are other people around.

A Brief Explanation about Stuttering and Brain Problems

Stuttering and brain problems are often being interrelated by the various studies which have been conducted about the topic. Although nothing has been proven yet as a strong evidence or proof as to the relation, there are different studies that point to the disfigured area on the brain’s anatomy that controls speech as the one responsible for the stuttering.

Although aside from brain problems, stuttering can also be rooted to emotional dilemma and baggage. A child may go through this stage when they are only beginning to talk up to about three years old. But this is a normal phase that everybody will go through. The problem begins when the speech doesn’t develop long after such phase and the stuttering won’t seem to stop. This is when parents should be alert in finding a cure for their children because the red flag is starting to raise that they are suffering from a medical condition already.

Characteristics of Stutterers

Stutterers usually show signs of repetition of consonants to words and phrases. The longer the words they repeat, the more serious their situation is. Aside from constant repetition, stutterers have long pauses or a series of short ones when they are expressing their thoughts. They also appear drawn out from what they are saying because of the manner in which they are expressing what they want to say.

A child who is just learning how to talk and is experiencing the whole process is very different from a child with a mild form of stuttering condition. The latter will often be caught with more than twice repetition of sounds that they hear of syllables from what they really would want to say. Usually, the facial muscle of a child with a medical condition becomes tensed and they might appear to be fighting with the words that they really want to express but are still figuring out how.

Other children with this condition will raise their voices out of exasperation about their situation. Some children will pause on the midst of their sentences because they could hardly breathe or they lack the air needed to be able to go on with what they are saying. The severe cases for children are said to be those who stutter for more than 10 percent of their whole speech.

The child may appear rowdy and irritable because they feel the exasperation of doing something that appears so easy for other people to do. They feel the tension and the pressure may also get into them. This will be worse if they will be exposed to other children who do not have their condition and who wouldn’t understand them. Once they are bullied about their situation, the more chances that they will feel like a failure. This may lead for them to shy away from the public light. This may also cause early signs of depression for these children.

The Cure

There are drugs available nowadays which you can try for your child to take. But the chances of getting better really depend on the child’s immune system and how their system reacts to the drugs. As a parent, the best cure that you can give to your child who has this problem is support and continuous therapy.

And although stuttering and brain problems are often being linked, the condition doesn’t really affect one’s intelligence. So somebody who has it can still achieve flying colors in life and career.

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How to Overcome Stuttering

Stuttering is a disorder not a disease. No one knows why it happens but it can be treated. Did you know that some of the most famous people in the world once stuttered? Yes it’s true and this happened years before the world ever head of them. But stuttering can also happen later on in life. The question now is how to overcome stuttering.

Since you are not a kid anymore, don’t expect your parents to be the ones to get you some help. This is something you are going to have to do yourself and you have to do whatever it takes to improve your speech abilities. You may need to get professional help which was not available years ago and try various techniques to find that right one that works.

The professional you should consult with it a speech language pathologist because he or she has the experience to deal with such a disorder. When you go looking for one, make sure he has a certificate from ASHA or American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has passed the state licensure exam. Once he is able to assess your condition, only then will he be able to recommend the right treatment.

Someone once said that the greatest “fear is fear itself.” If you let your fear take control, you will not be able to achieve any progress with the various techniques given by the specialist. You just have to bite the bullet and remember that you are working to become a better person.

While you are still “a work in progress,” you should be able to keep your stuttering within manageable limits. If you have to talk slowly, go ahead because again, this is much better than repeating a letter or word several times which, others may find annoying. On times that the fear gets the better of you, think nothing of it and try to control it much better next time.

Action speaks louder than words and this is so true when you have a stuttering problem. If one form of therapy does not work, tell your doctor about it so something new can be attempted. Role play is quite effective in this case so you just have to practice some scenarios so you are comfortable with it when its time to face the real thing.

Patience is one virtue you really need to control your stuttering. This is because the problem will not go away overnight. The progress which you hope for can only be achieved by the amount of effort you put in. Your determination or motivation should not be to impress others but to improve who you are. Yes there will be setbacks but this should drive you to work harder.

If you have patience and have the determination to become a better person, you also have a feeling of self worth. This is because your stuttering problem has not controlled your life and you are taking steps to control it. Stuttering may be your flaw but if you are able to show your other qualities, this will not really matter.

We are not perfect and all of us have our own deficiency of some sort. We can let others feel sorry for ourselves or we can make the best of what we have and put some humor into it because we should be able to be happy and enjoy the rest of our lives.

Some Important Notes about Stuttering

What do you know about stuttering? Everybody experiences this at times, especially when the pressure is on and the stress is becoming too much to bear. But this is actually a medical condition which symptoms include repetition, stumbling on words while speaking and far out hesitation as to go on with the thought or not.

The Factors
This case is very likely to run in families. But until now, it is still unclear how the genetic factors affect the condition and how important are these in such case. Another source that experts are looking into is the neurological area. There are some evidences that points to this as the source of the situation.

The Stages

You will notice that little kids do stutter. But they only do so for a short period of time. Only a little percentage from such case will develop the situation into something of a medical condition. They usually go from repeating consonants or having a hard time starting out their thoughts into repeating of words, phrases and sentences. Studies show that this will likely to develop more on males than females on the adulthood phase.

The situation is a passing phase on children’s lives. This is more common on ages 3 to 5. It will return to normal once the person has developed their speech patterns as well as their confidence. Too much fuss about the situation will only make the situation worse. This will make the person who has this self conscious to the point that they will think about it too much and that will only make the situation worse.

But a person who has this will often be able to overcome the situation or the sickness, if they are alone and talking to themselves or if they are singing. They will also find themselves being able to overcome the condition when they are reading aloud.

The Treatment

A person who is experiencing this kind of problem no longer needs to be examined to know that something is wrong because it is very evident with the way they talk. Check ups will follow up if more than having speech difficulty, other conditions arise.

As the earlier cases of people who tend to stutter have likely been resolved on their own and happen only on a short term period of time. That is why there is not one best cure for this condition. But studies are still being done as well as the observation of people who have this. But if the problem becomes uncontrollable, then you may need to go through speech therapy.

The Setbacks

People who always stutter tend to shy away from other people. As a result, their social skills are being affected in a negative way. Children fear the fact that other people will make fun of them and that they will be ridiculed. If parents will not intervene at such point, children may tend not to speak at all. And this must be avoided.

So when stuttering is already affecting the person on a different level, like they cannot concentrate on school or they cannot make friends in fear of the consequence, consult a medical expert about this. Do not wait for your child to miss out on the glee moments that they must experience just because they have a difficulty in communicating their thoughts.

8 Tips To Help Your Child From Stuttering

Parents are the frontline when it comes to giving the best possible care to the child. We give them clothes, food and shelter. But what if the child has a disorder like stuttering? Well, that love continues and you can also do it by knowing these tips.

1. Parents have to provide a supportive environment for the child. This means being patient with them and giving them a proper forum to speak their minds even if they do not say the words correctly. That may be hard given that we can talk normally but don’t you think you also had that problem while you were growing up?

2. You also have to create an environment where everyone takes turn when they are speaking. This will let them know that when someone is talking, they are quiet and when it is their turn, the other party will also give them the same courtesy.

3. When you speak to your child, only use short sentences and vocabulary that is appropriate to their age. If you have questions, let him or her finish answering one first before you ask another. This helps eliminate any frustration in trying to imitate complex phrases, sentences or words.

4. The most important tip is to be able to listen so you know the message they are trying to convey. How you respond to your child when they say something should be the same as how you will talk to a regular kid so that the child will not feel different. Eventually they will know notice that they speak differently from others but for now, just let them be.

5. As a parent, you are very understanding with what your child is going through but things are different when you leave the home especially in school because the kids who don’t know any better and they will laugh. As much as possible, don’t let your child speak in public or perform in front of others just yet. But if they want to, let them.

6. Your child’s siblings may just be as bad as some of the kids in school. When this happens, intervene immediately so this does not happen. Instead of making fun of the deficiency, everyone in the family must pull together and support each other.

7. A lot of people get the help of a speech language pathologist to help them deal with stuttering. There are various techniques that are used and with your help, you will be able to set realistic goals given that there is no known cure yet for this disorder.

8. Lastly, love your child for what he or she is. It is no one’s fault that the child is stuttering. In fact, scientists until now do not know yet what causes it even if there is evidence to suggest that it is genetic or something neurological that the child was born with. You just have to accept the fact that there is this problem and you are okay with it.

You can overcome stuttering by following these 8 simple tips. Will it be easy? The answer is no but as long as you provide the right environment, show a lot of love and support as well seek the proper help, the situation could get better as your child grows older.

When Should Your Stuttering Child See a Specialist

Babies are not able to speak yet for the first few years after they are born. However, if the child is already 5 years old and is still stuttering, perhaps you should already see a specialist.

Some instances that merit the need to see a specialist include repeating whole words or phrases, sound and syllable repetitions start to happen more often, an increase in the prolongations of words, the child’s speech begins to be effortful or strained, an increase in facial tension or tightness in the speech muscles, vocal tension resulting in high pitch or loudness, the child chooses to avoid speaking and other facial or body movements that go along with stuttering.

The specialist who will see your child is a called a speech language pathologist. This person is trained in human communication, its development and the various disorders including stuttering. Most individuals have a master’s degree and must pass a state certification or licensure exam in order to practice as well have a certificate from the ASHA or American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. If the doctor is not around, a speech assistant can help out.

It is hard to ask your friends the name of a specialist. Fortunately, you can turn your attention to the Stuttering Foundation of America who will be able to provide you with the name of a pathologist. You may also check out the nearest university, hospital or clinic for assistance.  These places will offer testing and therapy for those who are stuttering.

At home, you should be very understanding with your child by talking to him or her slowly and encouraging the other family members to do the same. Give them some quality time so they can ask questions and you should wait at least a second or two before giving your response. Just don’t make the mistake of speaking too slowly since this will sound strange.

The most challenging thing to do is not being upset or annoyed when the stuttering increases. Remember you are already getting help and it takes time for the child to learn new skills and overcome this situation.

You should also reassure your child because if you think that you are the only one who feels frustrated, they feel it too.

There are 3 basic categories of stuttering and the second and third  category will need the help of a professional because you don’t have the expertise to do this on your own.

Some parents wait several months before doing anything but you don’t have to wait that long. You can do a simple test by observing your child for ten minutes when he or she is very talkative. If the child stutters more than three times and there is a history of this in the family then you need to seek the help of a speech language pathologist.

There is no cure yet for stuttering. The only thing professionals can do is treat it. If you talk to someone who claims that they have a cure, don’t buy it. If you have tried one form of therapy and it does not work, don’t give up because there are others you can try.

You should not take any chances if your child stutters because you are not sure if he or she will be able to outgrow this like others have in the past.

Steve Cownley

http://dyslexiaandstuttering.freeiz.com/

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