Stuttering in Children: Causes and Treatment

Speech development is a process which in every child, despite the outlined norms, proceeds individually. Parents are waiting impatiently for the first words of their children. Their correct and fluent expression is the basic factor that allows the child to establish first relationships with the environment. Of course, especially at a time when speech is intensively developing, various difficulties related to linguistic communication may arise. They include the fluidity of speech.

Often, especially in common nomenclature, any disfluency in speech is referred to as "stuttering". Meanwhile, these phenomena should be distinguished, because not every "stuttering" is a speech neurosis and requires special treatment.

Speech disfluency

One of the features of spontaneous speech is disfluency. It can occur in any interlocutor, both young and adult. It is visible especially in states of nervousness or fatigue. It manifests itself in the repetition of syllables, words, "hanging", for example on a preposition.

The highlighted speech disfluency symptoms may appear separately or together. In the process of developing a child's speech, we most often come across the so-called developmental (physiological) speech disfluency.

Developmental disfluency in speaking: symptoms

Developmental disfluency in speaking is a disorder of the free movement from one element of speech to another and a disturbance of its pace and rhythm. The symptoms of such disfluency are:

• repeating syllables (ma-ma-mama is eating dinner);
• dragging sounds (mm ... he's having dinner);
• pauses (mom ... is eating dinner);
• repeat (mom is eating dinner);
• inclusions (mom is eating dinner uuh);
• word blocking (m. ... he is having dinner).

The development of stuttering

Occasionally, however, developmental speech disfluency can develop into stuttering, which is a serious communication impairment. It is assumed that stuttering is a speech neurosis resulting from malfunction of the articulatory, phonatory and respiratory systems. It is usually accompanied by increased muscle tension.

In about 90% of cases (Z. Tarkowski), stuttering occurs before the age of 7 and can develop intensively if left untreated. It is a disorder that will not go away by itself. The first symptoms may appear earlier, even around the age of 3-4. Their intensity usually varies.

Stuttering: the causes

The causes of stuttering are not clearly defined. It is known what factors can trigger this speech behavior. At the root of the first symptoms may lie events with a strong emotional chargethe child is experiencing (birth of siblings, going to kindergarten). It may also appear nervous stuttering - when the normally speaking toddler starts to stutter due to severe anxiety and stress. Other reasons also include organic factors, such as:

• damage to the speech and hearing apparatus, head trauma;
• respiratory system diseases;
• neurological diseases;
• delay in speech development.

Stuttering can also occur in a baby who has complications around the birth.

Stuttering: symptoms

The symptoms of stuttering are similar to those of developmental disfluency, except that they are more often associated with muscle tension of varying severity. Speech may be accompanied by involuntary movements of the facial muscles (the so-called "tiki"), limb movements. In extreme cases, it also appears fear of speaking, strong blockages at the level of articulation.

Stuttering is a pathological phenomenon that will not go away on its own. It may, however, worsen. In the case of a child who stutters, prompt therapeutic intervention is indicated. Treatment of stuttering is mainly based on speech therapy. If necessary, it is supported by a psychologist.

Speech therapy for stuttering in children

Due to the fact that stuttering is a disorder of coordination between breathing, phonation and articulation, it is worth introducing exercises that support the proper course of these processes. Belong to them breathing exercises, aimed at lengthening the respiratory phase. Also applies phonation exercises - articulation, which stimulate the proper operation of articulators.

Stuttering in a 3-year-old: exercise

It is worth remembering that 3-year-olds should have speech therapy exercises form of fun. These activities include:

• blowing bubbles;
• blowing papers off the table surface;
• blowing cotton balls or paper discs suspended on a thread;
• puffing on the handles or the mirror;
• imitation of the discharged air from a ball (s ...) or a puffing locomotive (fluff, p).

In order to extend the exhalation phase, you can activate the hissing of a snake (sss ...), imitation of a fly (bzzzz ...), during which phonation takes place on one exhalation.

Exercises for older children include: 

• whistling on one tone;
• pronouncing vowels in a long manner with an open mouth and a relaxed lower jaw.

Breathing exercises should be carried out 2-3 times a day for about 5 minutes. In a patient who stutters, systematic exercises are also needed to improve the work of articulators:

Language exercises:

Stuffing the cheeks with the tongue, sticking out a loose tongue over the chin, creating a tube, a spoon from the tongue.

Lip exercises:

Snorting, kissing, wide smiles, a balloon.

In older patients, exercises to improve the rhythm of speech, speaking in a whisper, singing are also included. Various relaxation techniques are also introduced.

Therapy and the immediate environment

Parents of children who stutter have been given some support by counseling and sharing the methods of stuttering that can be found on the Internet in various community groups. However, it should be remembered that when it comes to curing stuttering, a forum may not be a sufficient and, above all, competent source of information. If we have doubts about the course of our toddler's speech fluency, it is worth going to a specialist: a speech therapist (balbutologist) or a psychologist for advice.

Źródła:

Lichocka EJ: Prevention of stuttering and speech disfluency, Harmonia, Gdańsk 2008;
Chieniek M .: Stuttering: diagnosis, therapy, program, Impuls, Kraków 2010