Stuttering is a communication disorder for which therapy is available.
According to The Stuttering Foundation, "Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak." As of June 2010, there is no cure for stuttering. However, child and adolescent stuttering treatment is available to help the children with strategies to minimize the stuttering, as well as for the parents to learn help their child.
Evaluation
An evaluation is necessary if your child has been stuttering longer than three months. You can call your local school district, hospital or a speech-language pathologist to set up an appointment for the screening. They will send you an intake form to fill out before the appointment about your family history and to find out if there is a history of stuttering in the family. According to the Stuttering Center of Western Pennsylvania, "Evaluations include a detailed interview with parents or caregivers--and with the child if he or she is old enough. After the assessment, the clinician discusses the findings with the parents and the child and provides appropriate treatment recommendations."
Goals
You, the evaluator, and your child (if old enough) will make goals concerning the stuttering. According to Lisa Scott Trautman, Ph.D., goals could include "reducing the frequency of stuttering, decreasing the tension and struggle of stuttering moments, working to decrease word or situation avoidances, learning more about stuttering, or using effective communication skills such as eye contact or phrasing."
Treatment
The treatment provided by the speech-language pathologist (SLP) will be dependent on the child's age as well as the goals set up at the evaluation. According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, treatment for a younger children "...will be mainly play-based, and the child and family will learn more about stuttering, about fluency, and about ways to increase moments of fluent speech and decrease moments of stuttering." Treatment for adolescents "may begin to focus less on fluency than with the successful management of both fluency and stuttering."
Parents
Treatment for young children starts at home with the parents. Some of the strategies for parents to help their children with stuttering is to maintain eye contact while the child is talking, do not interrupt the child, do not try to finish the child's sentence for him and do not rush your child. Also, monitor yourself when talking and try to talk slowly as a model for your child. Above all, let your child know that you love and accept her even with the stutter.
Facts
According to The Stuttering Foundation, four times as many boys stutter than girls.
Approximately 1% of the American population stutters.
Many famous people stutter(ed) including Tiger Woods, Mel Tillis, Bruce Willis and Marilyn Monroe.
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