They learn to avoid letters and syllables, recognize each other by the way they speak, and learn to laugh at their difficulties. People for whom going to a store or even a simple show is a real challenge. On October 22, the world celebrates World Stuttering Day. Muscovite Nastya L. told m24.ru how she learned to live at 100 and not consider stuttering a problem.
I started stuttering somewhere in the third grade and it happened quite unexpectedly. It was a summer day, I was walking down the street with one of my relatives and suddenly a loud bell rang out - I don’t remember what it was exactly: maybe a car horn or something else, but when we got home, I stopped talking and didn’t speak two or three days
Then I started speaking, but not as well as before - I began to stutter. My grandmother started taking me to speech therapists and psychologists, but nothing helped.
Stuttering is a neurological disease, it is accompanied by spasms of the speech apparatus, voice or respiratory tract. Not only a speech therapist and a psychologist should help overcome it, but also a neurologist who, if necessary, can prescribe medications, children’s speech therapist-defectologist Natalya Pyatibratova told m24.ru.
The help of only a speech therapist and psychologist can help correct another child speech defect - hesitation. It is similar to stuttering, but is not accompanied by spasms. The child may say “let’s go Google,” but the sounds will flow freely. In this case, most likely, he does not stutter.
This problem manifests itself in delicate, vulnerable children. Sometimes their speech apparatus cannot keep up with their thoughts and emotions. This causes stumbling. They can also be corrected with the help of a speech therapist.
There is an easy way to differentiate hesitation from stuttering. You need to ask the child to say it better - if he just stammers, then his speech will improve after the request. For a child with a stutter, the request will have the opposite effect: from fixating on the problem, it will become more difficult for him to repeat his phrase.
What is stuttering
Medicine defines the problem as a speech disorder in which a person often repeats certain words or syllables, pronounces individual sounds in a drawn-out manner, without being able to pronounce them fully. Smoothness, rhythm, and tempo of pronunciation of phrases suffer. Doctors define the disorder by the term “logoneurosis.” According to statistics, it occurs in approximately 2-3% of people, that is, quite common.
Physiological reasons include spasms and convulsions of the muscles responsible for speaking. These disturbances negatively affect breathing, the strength and pitch of spoken sounds. The physiology of this process is similar to hiccups.
At what age does the problem appear?
Most often, a child encounters stuttering at the age of 3-4, when the speech apparatus and psyche are formed. However, logoneurosis can manifest itself at a later age - up to adolescence. The occurrence of a problem in adulthood is an extremely rare occurrence, as it is associated with the formation of the nervous system and speech function of the brain. And this period occurs at the age of 3-6 years. It is noteworthy that the disorder occurs much more often in boys, since the cerebral hemisphere responsible for speech develops more slowly in them.
How and why does stuttering occur?
The mechanism of stuttering is still not fully understood. In the literature it is described as follows.
- For a number of reasons, Broca's speech center becomes excited and begins to work faster than usual. As a result, the speech circle opens. This means that the connection between the centers where speech is formed is disrupted.
- Overexcitation is transmitted to other areas of the cerebral cortex responsible for motor activity.
- As a result, the muscles of the speech organs (tongue, lips) cramp. Sometimes the spasm affects not only the pronunciation muscles, but also the respiratory muscles.
- Then the work of Broca's center returns to normal, and the speech circle closes again.
In most cases, difficulties arise with the pronunciation of consonant sounds, as they require more effort. The hardest part for a person is the beginning or middle of a phrase. Sometimes a cramp reduces not only the speech muscles, but also the muscles of the arms, legs, and face. Men are most susceptible to the appearance of logoneurosis, since their left hemisphere, where Broca's center is located, is usually less developed than in women. Also, stuttering usually manifests itself in people whose blood relatives suffer from the same disorder. If speech centers are weak from birth, then any unfavorable factors can easily disrupt their work.
Experts identify the following reasons for the development of logoneurosis:
- Severe stress - loss of loved ones, emergency, natural disasters, accidents, military operations, constant scandals at home. Due to emotional overload, disturbances occur in the coordinated functioning of the muscles that are responsible for sound pronunciation.
- Diseases of the central nervous system - this can include skull injuries, severe infections affecting the brain, previous strokes, any neoplasms that put pressure on the speech centers. All this interferes with the normal transmission of impulses from the brain along nerve fibers to the muscles.
In the latter case, logoneurosis has nothing to do with emotions. In other words, a person stutters even if he is in a calm environment.
These reasons in themselves do not lead to stuttering. In essence, they are triggers. Whether a person starts to stutter or not depends largely on the state of the central nervous system. If she is strong and relatively healthy, then this will not happen. If the central nervous system is weakened, then stuttering is likely to develop.
What can cause a child to stutter?
Organic causes
A number of reasons are associated with problems of early development and organic lesions of the nervous system:
- genetic predisposition;
- injuries during childbirth;
- intrauterine development disorders;
- infections that the mother suffered during pregnancy;
- diseases associated with metabolism in a pregnant mother;
- frequent ENT diseases of a child in the first 3 years of life.
In these cases, curing stuttering in a child is problematic. After all, it is caused by physiological abnormalities in the development of the nervous system. Children may have impaired reflexes, a tendency to seizures, and surges in intracranial pressure. Problems can be corrected with the help of medications that are selected by the doctor.
Acquired reasons
Basically, they are associated with stress and neuroses, due to which the child may begin to stutter. Most often this happens at 4-5 years of age, when the nervous system is most susceptible to external factors. Doctors include these:
- strong and frequent quarrels;
- life changes (for example, starting kindergarten);
- unfavorable atmosphere in the family;
- sharp fear;
- excessive intellectual stress;
- emotional turmoil;
- disordered life, child's daily routine.
Often, a child begins to stutter during the period of mastering his native language, when parents begin to intensively engage in its development. The brain does not have time to perceive the entire mass of information, especially if learning a foreign language is also added to the native language. Therefore, during any intellectual activities with your baby, it is important not to overload him. Particular attention should be paid to emotional children.
According to statistics, more than 80% of stuttering cases have acquired causes. Such children do not have any physiological abnormalities, and speech disorders can be corrected quite well.
How does stuttering manifest itself?
Based on the shape of the seizures, three forms of stuttering are distinguished:
- clonic - it is characterized by involuntary repetition of individual sounds and syllables, as short spasms follow one after another;
- tonic – characterized by speech delay, as the muscles contract strongly for a long time;
- mixed - a combination of both forms of logoneurosis.
Logoneurosis can occur in three variants:
- constant - a person stutters in any environment, with any form of speech;
- wavy - it appears and disappears depending on the situation and the person’s condition;
- recurrent – stuttering may disappear for a long time, but under the influence of unfavorable factors it appears again.
Experts also distinguish clinical forms of stuttering - neurotic and neurosis-like . They develop for different reasons and in different ways. Let's look at each of them in more detail.
The neurotic form responds well to treatment, since the speech function itself is impaired, and the brain structures are healthy. Stuttering occurs mainly due to acute or chronic stress. Most people develop logophobia, that is, an obsessive fear of speech situations. A person begins to stutter as soon as he thinks about the need to communicate or about failures associated with speech. Such people often feel rejected; they prefer to keep live contact to a minimum.
The neurosis-like form does not depend on the situation, since stuttering is associated with structural damage to the brain. Logoneurosis is often accompanied by convulsions of the whole body, for example, frequent nodding of the head, movements of the fingers, swaying of the body. A person quickly gets tired during a conversation, his answers become monosyllabic. Memory deterioration, fatigue, and decreased attention are also observed.
How can you tell if your child has a speech disorder?
The easiest way to treat stuttering is when it is discovered at a very early stage, before the brain has yet “fixed” the speech defect, before it turns into a reflex and affects the child’s psyche. Therefore, when he turns 3-4 years old, we recommend paying attention to the following points:
- when pronouncing phrases, the child stops, breathes quickly, as if gathering strength;
- stammers, repeats the same syllables and words;
- pronounces additional sounds before the phrase (i, a, e);
- refuses to speak at all, becomes abruptly silent;
- becomes withdrawn.
Any of these symptoms is a reason to consult a doctor. The sooner you do this, the faster and without consequences the problem will be solved.
Which doctor treats stuttering?
Speech therapist
If no physiological abnormalities are found in the child, the next step is to contact a speech therapist. This specialist specializes in the correction of speech defects and will help the child learn to correctly pronounce sounds that he cannot comprehend. The speech therapist will determine the nature of stuttering - it can be tonic (drawn-out main sounds) and clonic (stutter on consonants). And then he will choose the optimal treatment method.
- It will teach you to breathe evenly so that your breathing does not falter and remains even throughout the entire phrase.
- Place pauses to save speech effort and relieve muscle spasms.
- Form sounds using the speech apparatus: larynx, tongue, teeth, lips.
The specialist works to ensure that the baby overcomes the weakness of the articulatory (speech) apparatus. To do this, the speech therapist will develop certain muscles, for example, the larynx, neck.
Psychologist
However, in most cases, its work alone is not enough. The causes of stuttering are inextricably linked with psychological problems. They need to be corrected no less than speech. Therefore, we recommend that you also contact a psychologist. Visits to this specialist may be even more effective than visits to a speech therapist.
Muscle spasms are often associated with nervous tension and an inability to relax emotionally. Therefore, this doctor will work with a stuttering child in the following areas:
- Teaches you how to behave competently in stressful situations.
- Relax and rest.
- Control your emotions.
- Overcome your fears.
- Contact with peers.
- Express yourself through creativity and communication.
There are a huge variety of methods for psychologists to work with children who stutter. For kids, this may be the development of fine motor skills, for older children - listening to recordings of their own speech with its subsequent correction.
Tips on how to get rid of stuttering yourself as an adult
In adulthood, the intervention of a speech pathologist and speech therapist is not enough. Typically, a method of complex influence of several specialists is used. This is a neurologist, speech therapist, and also a psychotherapist. In adulthood, this problem can only be corrected with the help of a psychotherapist. But this does not mean that you should not fight this disease on your own. Experts believe that it is easier to get rid of stuttering in childhood than to wait until adolescence or adulthood. Thus, a person already gets used to his defect and is afraid of it, trying to talk less.
Tips on how to get rid of stuttering yourself as an adult:
- Learn breathing exercises. Sit on a chair and gradually draw air towards your diaphragm. Inhale and exhale as you count, gradually increasing the pauses between exercises. Inhale for a count of 10, hold your breath for 5 seconds, and exhale for 10 seconds.
- It is necessary to do a massage; it is best to massage the face, which helps to develop articulation centers. This is a massage of the lower part of the face, cheekbones, cheeks, and jaw.
- Helps get rid of stuttering by following a speech regime a. It is necessary to remain silent most of the time and speak when it is possible to control your speech.
- Take up meditation. There are many techniques that allow you to calm down and relax, harmonize your body and thoughts.
Stuttering
What should parents do at home?
It is ineffective to cure logoneurosis without the help of parents at home, since the main support should come from them. Therefore, get ready for the fact that you will also have to contact a psychologist and learn from him. To correct psychological problems in a child, you need to change your daily routine and lifestyle at home. The best way to prevent stuttering is to avoid situations that make it worse.
Mode
Organize your daily routine so that periods of intellectual and emotional stress alternate with proper rest and relaxation.
Dream
Children must sleep at least 8 hours a day, so you need to organize your daily life, home space, and sound atmosphere in such a way as to ensure this minimum.
Intonation
The baby should feel the confidence and calmness coming from the parents, so you need to address him slowly, quietly, calmly, without interrupting him. It is important to explain to loved ones that this is exactly what needs to be done.
Praise
Develop your baby's self-confidence by praising him for any success. Create situations in which he could show his best side. However, praise for success should not be confused with pampering.
Situation
In family relationships, quarrels should remain prohibited. It is impossible to cure a child and prevent stuttering in an aggressive and tense atmosphere. The same applies to visiting noisy companies or places.
Leisure
Limit watching programs, movies, cartoons or games that cause emotional overstimulation. Leisure should be calm, aimed at developing creative abilities.
Communication
Gradually and delicately expand your child's social circle by inviting him to visit public places that do not evoke strong emotions. Introduce him to interesting people. They will help him adapt to the outside world.
Activity
Dosed physical activity has a positive effect on the nervous system, as well as muscle development. Therefore, physical education, swimming, running, just walking, playing in the fresh air should become the norm.
Restrictions
Under no circumstances use punishments that can have a negative impact on children's emotions (punishments should also be calm, no matter what offense the child commits). It is strictly forbidden to leave a child alone in a dark room.
What should adults say?
To prevent relapses of speech disorders (and they may well occur), you as parents need to change or carefully monitor your own speech. This applies to your conversations with each other. Children actively perceive the conversation around them and unconsciously imitate it:
- Speak clearly, intelligibly, without mistakes and without rushing.
- Try to pronounce the phrase a little slower than usual.
- Avoid complex words that are incomprehensible to the baby.
- Various “scary” topics of conversation are taboo.
- It is not recommended to speak in syllables or sing phrases.
Try to get your baby to make friends with balanced children who have well-developed speech. If his speech activity is too high, artificially limit it by giving him the opportunity to silently play alone with himself for some time. Try to get your child to listen more than talk.
What to do to get rid of stuttering
Many celebrities have overcome stuttering. It is now difficult to believe that Elvis Presley, Bruce Willis, and Winston Churchill suffered from this defect. You can get rid of it forever. Your child can do this, no matter what speech defect he or she has. However, this requires serious effort, perseverance, and patience.
Here are the elements on which your success should rest:
- Emotional calm.
- Correct speech construction.
- Organization of the child's daily life.
- Thoughtful daily routine.
- Regular sessions with a speech therapist and psychologist.
The main thing is to practice regularly and not lose control of the problem.
Which specialist should I contact?
As mentioned above, stuttering is caused by a number of reasons, and therefore the approach to treatment must be comprehensive.
- A neurologist evaluates the state of the central nervous system and treats diagnosed disorders.
- A psychologist helps to cope with emotional turmoil, overcome fear of communication, and correct character weaknesses.
- The speech therapist teaches you how to breathe correctly, control your voice, and conduct a smooth and rhythmic conversation.
Acupuncture procedures that have a positive effect on brain function, sessions with a psychotherapist and a physical therapy instructor will also be useful.
However, the most important thing in the treatment of stuttering is motivation, since the duration of the course is several weeks. The exercises are based on repeated repetition of the same actions, constantly overcoming the fear of communication. Efficiency directly depends on the efforts and desires of the patient himself.
Publication date: 04/13/2021. Last modified: 05/06/2021.
