Stuttering is a disorder where a person has difficulty getting his words right. This disorder is present in a huge percentage of the population. Most children who stutter can overcome this speech disorder as they grow up and learn to communicate, but some children will continue to stutter into adulthood. Stuttering is a hard thing to talk about. It’s hard because parents want to help but they don’t know where to start. It’s hard because people want to overcome it, but they don’t know how.
Causes, Signs and Symptoms of stuttering
Children are known for having boundless curiosity, so it’s only normal that as we grow up and develop our way of thinking, we raise questions about things. However, what is not typical about this process is when children lose their ability to express themselves verbally due to being so curious about learning more and asking adults countless questions at such an age. For example, if a child asks his parent the same question over and over again, he or she might end up stuttering while trying to answer. Often this inability to mobilize one’s speech, in turn, makes people feel afraid to speak because they start believing that there’s something wrong with them. However, stuttering doesn’t mean you’re a weird kid or an outcast – on the contrary, communication difficulties are quite common among children at any age! Some of the best nursery schools in Mumbai implement techniques and exercises that can help children overcome this problem.
All toddlers tend to struggle with forming certain words at some point in their lives because they are still learning how to speak correctly. It usually happens between the ages of two to five, but some children stutter even after the age of five. There is no known cure for stuttering yet, however, there are several treatments and therapies that assist many who suffer from this speech disorder in their daily lives. Some doctors attribute this stuttering to a miscommunication between the brain and vocal muscles which produces sounds whereas others say it may be genetic.
The impact of Stuttering on toddlers
- Children who stutter can sometimes demonstrate their struggle through facial tics. It will look like they are tightening up or clenching their facial muscles in a way that mirrors someone with a physical quirk versus someone who might be having trouble communicating mentally.
- Your child might refrain from taking part in things that might make him speak. This might be because of the confidence they lack in themselves.
- Repetition makes people feel better when they are struggling with stuttering because it kind of gets them feeling like the issue doesn’t exist anymore. Things like stress and nervousness can cause you to stutter more often than not which is one reason why realigning your mindset is so important when it comes down to being able to overcome this obstacle at any given moment.
Ways to help toddlers overcome stuttering
- The first step is to regulate the speed of speech. Once your child has reduced the overall rate at which they speak, some words might become more manageable for them. Note, any problematic words you catch them stammering or trailing off on – perhaps ‘feed’ for example, so that you can work with them using sentences containing these words to help them become better accustomed to speaking fluently. Keeping an eye out for problematic pronunciations and/or a notable tendency of placing unnecessary stress on certain vowels, consonants etc.
- Stuttering happens not because of the dearth of words; rather, it’s due to the mistake in the brain misfiring. Never tell a child to think before talking as that can contribute to more stress and anxiety on their part. Simply help them speak up despite making mistakes and clarify what they’re trying to say so that you can help them get the flow back of speech without pressure or forcing themselves in any way. Some of the best toddlers’ schools in Kharghar are equipped with methods to deal with stuttering gently, so children don’t lose confidence in themselves.
- It is always a great idea to have the family over for dinner. Rather than entertaining everyone with video games or television, it’s best to involve the kids in some family gossip. Just make sure that you don’t correct your child in front of others. It’s also important to tell your guests that they should avoid doing the same around them in order not to damage their self-esteem!
Speech Therapy for toddlers with stuttering
Stuttering is common in kids who are still learning how to speak but it is not likely to continue into adulthood. Therefore, the best nursery schools in Mumbai, encourage sending children with symptoms of stuttering to speech therapy classes as an active way of dealing with the issue.
