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Speech-Language
Pathology
Pre-School
Fluency Disorders (Stuttering)
What
is Stuttering?
Stuttering
is a disruption in the smooth, natural flow of speech. All children (and adults) experience some dysfluencies in
their speech. Some examples
of normal dysfluencies are:
-
Interjections
- when we say “um” or “uh”
-
Revisions
– “Can we go at…go to McDonalds?
-
Pausing
– pause as you think of the word/thought you want to say
Dysfluencies
that are more typical of stuttering include the following:
- Repetitions of sounds (e.g. “C-c-can I have some?”) or
words (“Can- can- can I have some?”)
- Prolongations (e.g. “AAAAll the ice cream’s gone”)
- Blocks – the child attempts to say a word and no sound
comes out for a brief second
Will
he/she grow out of it?
It
is very normal for children between the ages of 2-6 to experience normal
childhood dysfluencies. These
dysfluencies usually come and go from day to day or week to week. Typically there is no physical struggle or tension when the child
is stuck on a word. In addition,
there is usually no frustration experienced by the child. They do not feel that they are having a difficult time speaking.
It has been found that 80% of preschool children who stutter will
grow out of it within 18-24 months of the onset of stuttering.
However, it is difficult to determine which children will recover
without treatment and which children will not.
With treatment, 97% of children who stutter recover.
Early intervention is critical for success in treating children who
stutter. If your child has been
experiencing stuttering for more than 3 months, an assessment by a
Speech-Language Pathologist may be warranted.
An
assessment by a Speech-Language Pathologist can help determine the
severity of your child’s stuttering and identify indicators of
chronicity (e.g. warning signs that the stuttering may persist beyond
preschool years). If it is determined that your child is experiencing normal
childhood dysfluencies, the therapist will provide you with suggestions on
how to promote fluency at home. Your
child may then be re-assessed at a later date (e.g. 2-4 months).
If your child has some of the warning signs of chronicity then
therapy may be recommended.
How
to Help at Home?
Research
has shown that parents can have a very positive impact on their child’s
speech. Here is a list of
general guidelines you can use:
-
Let
your child decide when to speak and what to say in front of others.
Try not to put them on the spot to perform in front of company
(e.g. “Show grandma how you can count to 20”).
-
Instead
of telling your child to “slow down”, show them how to slow down.
Do this by modeling a less hurried way of speaking and pause
frequently. Wait a few
seconds after your child finishes talking before you speak.
-
Reduce
competition to speak and interrupting between siblings.
Children who stutter find it easier to talk smoothly if there
are no interruptions and when they have the listener’s attention.
-
Do
not finish your child’s sentence if he/she is “stuck” getting a
word out. Simply wait and
listen patiently.
-
Deal
with teasing promptly.
-
When
your child is having a “smooth” day encourage opportunities to
talk (e.g. tell stories, invite a friend over).
When your child is having a “tough” day, find things to do
that do not require as much talking.
-
When
playing with your child, talk about what you are doing instead of
asking a lot of questions about what he/she is doing.
Children speak more freely if they are expressing their own
ideas.
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