STUTTERING
Stuttering, which is
also referred to as dysfluency, is a communication
disorder that involves the repetition, prolongation,
or blockage of sounds, syllables, or words.
A child who is stuttering may demonstrate
an excessive duration of dysfluent speech,
a fast rate of speech, and may exhibit related
behaviors such as attempting to use the body
or face to help produce speech. Some children
have a family history for stuttering. Other
times, a child's environment, language abilities,
or motor programming can be linked to stuttering
behaviors.
Some specific examples
of dysfluencies include, but are not limited
to;
- Prolongations (i.e.
"Mmmmmmy name is Sam.")
- Silent Prolongations
(when a child has her mouth open as if "stuck"
with no sound production.)
- Part-Word Repetitions
(i.e. "Thi thi this toy is broken.")
- Syllable Repetitions
(i.e. "Hur-Hur-Hurry Mom.")
- Whole Word Repetitions
(i.e. "We we we go to school.")
- Interjections (i.e.
"We um, had um chicken for ah dinner.")
All children will exhibit
dysfluencies in speech at some point in their
development, as this is part the natural process
of acquiring speech. However, if your child
has been stuttering for a few months, or is
showing an increase in the amount of stuttering
behaviors, you may want to consider having him
seen by a qualified Speech and Language Pathologist.
Be careful not to label your child's speech
as "stuttering" with him, and, try
not to interrupt or finish thoughts for you
child. Some helpful suggestions include:
- Use a appropriate
rate of speech with your child (the slower,
the better)
- Decrease the amount
of stressful speaking experiences (i.e. making
your child talk or verbally "perform"
for others, having many siblings talking to
a parent at the same time
- Be a good listener
for your child. The goal is to show your child
that he has all the time he needs to get his
message across to you.
- Be patient and let
your child continue to talk
Links:
www.Westutter.org
(National Stuttering Association)
www.stutteringhelp.org
(The Stuttering Foundation)
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