Once, I was passing through a play-field in a school. It was lunchtime. Some children were standing around a boy who was crying bitterly. I found on going there that the boy used to stammer and all his peers were making fun of him.
Fortunately, his teacher
came on the scene and the situation could be saved but it led me to think about
the seriousness of the problem. Mostly it is a childhood problem and with
sensible and sensitive approach can be cured but still, till such time that the
child is suffering it is a cause of huge embarrassment.
I got down to know more
about it and was surprised to see a huge list of stutterers that included
actors, athletes, politicians, even singers, orators and writers, and many
eminent people such as Late British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and
King George VI. It is definitely curable and requires dedicated efforts.
Famous English singer and songwriter Gareth Paul Gates has been known to stutter. He has said, “Living with a stammer is
difficult. It’s a daily uphill struggle with emotional baggage weighing you
down. You can’t be the person you want to be.”
Now that we are on the
subject, why not find out more about this seemingly disconcerting problem.
What is stuttering?
Everybody knows that it is
not a very uncommon speech problem where the normal flow of speech is
interrupted because of the repetition or extension of some sounds or words. The
condition may vary from mild to severe. It makes it difficult for the person to
communicate with other people. Many times, a normally-speaking person may also
face this problem during public speaking or sudden meeting with someone or even
during telephonic conversation.
Types of stuttering
Mainly there are three
types of stuttering-
· Developmental– This type of stuttering
is the most common one among the children and generally occurs between their
age of 2 and 5 years. The reason of such stuttering is that the child’s
wants to speak. However, if it persists for more than 6 months or continues in
development of speech and the language do not keep pace with what he or she
for concern.
the child beyond the age of Three and a half years, it can be taken as a cause
· Neuorgenic– This type of stuttering
is caused by a brain injury or stroke. It affects brain or nerves and causes
signal problems between the brain, nerves and the muscles connected with the
speech.
· Psychogenic– This one is the most
uncommon caused by emotional trauma or disturbed thinking or reasoning.
· Genetic– Sometimes there can be a
genetic or hereditary reason also for it. The child may take it from either of
the parents or even a close family member.
Cause of stuttering
As of date, medical
science has not been able to attribute any proper cause of stuttering. However,
family history of stuttering may influence it. It also occurs if the child has
some other speech disorders or stutters for more than 6 months. Some inherent
fear or concern may also cause it.
Symptoms of stuttering
· Repeating sounds,
syllables or words- The child may repeat a sound like r-r-r-rabbit.
· Prolonging sounds, syllables or words- The child may take it
longer to pronounce a word. For example- pic-pic-pic-picnic
· Using fillers- Some children use fillers such as ‘like’. I want
to like……read the book.
· Slow talkers- These children are slow talkers measuring each
word while speaking.
· Blocked speech- Their mouth opens up but they can’t speak.
· Nervousness- Some become so nervous or become out of breath that
they can’t speak.
· Blinking eyes and shaking lips- They can speak but not without
blinking their eyes or shaking lips.
· Stuttering during fatigue, stress or excitement- Some children
speak properly under normal circumstances but stutter during stress, fatigue or
excitement.
· Fear- Some children stutter if they are afraid of something.
Diagnosis of stuttering
Stuttering patients have to normally consult a Speech-Language
Therapist. He or she makes efforts to diagnose the exact problem. They ask
questions about the speech using different techniques to diagnose the problems.
Treatment of stuttering
There is no known cure for stuttering. It varies with the age,
health and severity of the problem. Skills and techniques of speech can help
the child not to carry it to the adulthood.
Problems
Stuttering causes problems like low self-confidence resulting in
poor academic performance and avoiding social interaction.
12 Tips to help a stuttering child
Parents play a very important role in taking care of this problem.
Some suggested tips are as follows-
1. Keep the atmosphere
normal for the child.
2. Become totally involved
with the child. Don’t let him/ her feel that he/ she is being ignored.
3. Give him/ her your
quality time.
4. Encourage him/ her to
talk about the topics of interest.
5. Never speak negatively
about his/ her stutter.
6. Don’t interrupt during
his/ her speech.
7. Speak to the child
slowly so that he or she also replies comfortably and slowly.
8. Pay complete attention
while the child is speaking.
9. Don’t speak for him/
her. Let the child complete the word or the sentence.
10. Don’t try to evade the topic of stuttering with the child if he or
she brings it up.
11. Keep interacting with the child’s teachers and
ensure that the child’s peers do not tease or bully him/ her.
12. In case of any such family history, never hide it
from the speech therapist.
Consultation with the therapist/ Counsellor/ Doctor
· Watch for the conditions
of stuttering and immediately consult them-
· If the situation goes
beyond 6 months
· If the child is afraid
of speaking
· If there are problems in
the school
· Ensure that you clearly
understand the child’s exact problem in speech.
· If possible, write down
the details and the questions in your mind about the problem.
· During the consultation
also note down the diagnosis, tips, tests, medical examinations and advice
along with the medicines, its efficacy and side effects, if any.
Some famous stutterers in the History
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Orator Demosthenes
King George VI
Actor James Earl Jones
Country singer Mel Tillis
The list can be very long. However, one can find singers and orators who have to use their vocal chords more than others. So, if they can be famous even with this handicap, there is
nothing much to be afraid of.
The author has taken the inspiration from above mentioned Report
in The Times of India and the following websites:
https://www.stlouischildrens.org/conditions-treatments/stuttering
https://www.webmd.com/children/guide/how-to-help-stammering-child#1
# StammeringInTheChidren #StutteringInTheChildren
#TipsForStutteringChildren.
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