PARENTING

STUTTERING IN KIDS

Should you be concerned? TEXT SKYE LAVIS

Stuttering or stammering is a speech disorder that can afect a child’s fow of speech. A child who stutters repeats or prolongs sounds, syllables or words. Stuttering is not an underlying disease but can be passed down from parent to child or may even result due to nervousness. Fortunately, approximately 75% of children who show signs of this type of speech behaviour will eventually recover.

TYPE OF STUTTERING Developmental stuttering: Tis is the most common type of stuttering in children and usually occurs between the ages of 2 and 5. Tis specifc type of stuttering occurs as children begin to develop their speech and language abilities. Neurogenic stuttering: Tis type of stuttering may occur after a stroke or brain injury. It happens when there are signal problems between the brain and nerves and muscles involved in speech. Psychogenic stuttering: Tis type is not a common type of stuttering and usually only develops after experiencing an emotional trauma.

SYMPTOMS Each child is diferent but symptoms to watch for include: - Prolonging of repeating sounds, syllables or words. - Using interjections such as “um” or “like”. - Stopped or blocked speech where the mouth is open to speak, but nothing is said. - Easily out of breath or nervous when talking. - Increased stuttering when tired, excited or under stress.

TREATMENT Treatment will depend on your child’s symptoms, age, general health and severity of their condition. Tere is however no cure. Early treatment can prevent stuttering from continuing into adulthood and diferent techniques can be taught by a speech-language pathologist to help your child slow down and breathe while speaking.

TIPS FOR PARENTS Reduce communication stress: Tere are diferent techniques to put less pressure on a child in a speaking situation. Rephrasing questions as comments is one efective approach. For example, ‘You played today at school. It must have been fun!’ Instead of ‘What did you do at

school today?’ Talk about it: When children are aware of their stuttering, it is best to be open and talk about it in a positive way. Let them know it is okay to have ‘bumpy speech’ and that you’ll work on it together. Practice patience: Give children time to fnish what they are saying. Don’t rush or interrupt them. Don’t tell them to think about what they want to say. Phrases such as those are generally not helpful to children who stutter. Model good speech habits: Parents can model speech habits such as slowing down their own speed when they talk, putting in more pauses between sentences, and speaking in a relaxed manner. Seek professional advice: Tere are many ways to fnd a speech-language pathologist, your child’s pediatrician can provide a recommendation. Parents also have the option to seek out a private speech-language pathologist should you get concerned. ■