Why did the child start stuttering at 3. What to do if the child stutters: various methods and means of treatment

Has your child suddenly started stuttering? Do not despair, you have the power to help your child get rid of this problem. Work on speech disorders begins with determining the cause of stuttering, and then comes corrective treatment, which in most cases brings results. Shall we talk in more detail?

All parents eagerly wait for their child to speak, but if suddenly he begins to stutter, then this becomes a real tragedy for the family. There is no need to despair if you are faced with such a problem, you can help your baby. Stuttering refers to a disturbance in the fluency and rhythm of speech. In people with such problems, the muscles of the speech apparatus contract convulsively, resulting in stuttering.

Why does a child stutter?

Let's take a closer look at why a child stutters. There are a huge number of reasons that can trigger the problem. The pathology can develop against the background of congenital defects of the nervous system or abnormal formation of the speech apparatus. Stuttering can occur as a result of a previous illness or if the baby has suffered a birth injury. These are physiological causes of stuttering, but there are also psychological ones, they occur most often.

A child who has already begun to speak may suddenly develop a stutter as a result of severe fright, stress or severe shock. These factors cause neurosis, against the background of which speech problems develop. If stuttering is neuralgic in nature, then the child can speak normally in a relaxed atmosphere, but any slight excitement aggravates the situation. The problem most often manifests itself in excitable, active children and children with a heightened sense of anxiety.

Problems with speech can arise due to the fact that the baby, having only recently learned to express his thoughts, tries to voice them as quickly as possible. A small vocabulary does not allow this, confusion begins, the child gets nervous, loses the thread of what was said and stutters. There are also “unusual” reasons: for example, a child stutters on purpose, trying to copy his relative.

Stuttering most often occurs in children between the ages of two and five years. At this time, the formation of phrasal speech occurs, and any shock can disrupt this process.

Having determined the cause of stuttering, you can move on to treatment. It depends on what triggered the appearance of abnormal speech. If you contact a specialist in time, there is a high probability that your child will soon be able to speak without hesitation.

What to do if your child has a stutter

What to do if your child has a stutter? Parents must understand that it is almost impossible to cope with this problem without specialists. Correction of speech pathology is complex. First, the child is examined to understand the cause of the problem. The examination is not only physiological nature: The baby needs to be shown to a child psychologist. During the treatment process you will have to contact the psychologist frequently. Such meetings are aimed at increasing the emotional stability of a stuttering child. It is especially important to establish contact with a psychologist if the child has a neurotic type of stutter. You will also have to find a good speech therapist-defectologist. During treatment, the baby should be observed by a neurologist: the doctor records the dynamics of the pathology.

In addition to the fact that you will need to take your child to speech correction classes, you need to create all the conditions at home so that the child forgets about his problem. A daily routine will help structure your anxiety. Parents should avoid any conflict situations, which can upset the baby too. All household members should accustom themselves to talk to the child calmly, without raised tones, and to keep explosive emotions to themselves. At first, watch your speech: it should not be too fast, otherwise the child will rush to formulate his thought and stumble. Don’t interrupt or urge your child on when he’s telling something, and don’t focus on his stuttering. Praise your child, discuss books you read with him, play together. Reading syllables and singing will help overcome the problem. If you approach the solution to the issue in a comprehensive manner (you work with the child yourself and involve specialists), then even if the problem cannot be solved, you will definitely be able to minimize it.

From the article you will learn all about the most effective methods of treating stuttering in children.

Sometimes it happens that, for no apparent reason, a son or daughter begins to have speech problems. Usually parents begin to worry, panic and torment the child with unnecessary questions.

But you don’t need to do this, because absolutely every doctor will tell you that with proper treatment this problem can be solved. All you need for this is time and patience.

Why do children stutter?

Most often, this disease affects young children. The child begins to stammer, draw out sounds and repeat individual syllables. If you don’t help your child get rid of this problem, then very soon he will withdraw into himself, and his stuttering will only get worse.
Causes of stuttering in children:
Frequent stress, negative emotions and diseases of the nervous system
Birth trauma or intrauterine infection
Insufficient development of speech skills
Imitating older people

Logoneurosis in children and its treatment

Logoneurosis usually appears against the background of a very stressful situation.

• For example, a baby was playing on the street and a stranger started shouting at him or a large dog suddenly jumped on him
• There are cases when, after experiencing emotions, a little person generally stops speaking for a while, and when speech returns, the child begins to stutter
• Another important factor is heredity. If a child’s parents stutter, then increased anxiety and mental fatigue can be transmitted to the nervous system at the genetic level.
• And since these two factors greatly influence emotional condition, then they may well become a catalyst for stuttering in a little person

Treatment methods for logoneurosis:
Visit to a psychologist
Relaxing baths and massages
Breathing exercises
Calming fees

What to do when a 2-3 year old child stutters?

If your child stutters, then you need to approach this issue comprehensively. Treat not only with grandmother’s methods, but turn to modern specialists for help.

The following tips will help improve your child’s condition:
Walk a lot and stick to a sleep schedule
Read books to your child and play educational games with him
Don't quarrel in front of your son or daughter
Visit a speech therapist and psychologist

What to do when a 4-5 year old child stutters?

• Most often, at this age, a child can already tell his parents what worries him and what he is afraid of.
• Therefore, as soon as you notice problems with speech, immediately talk to your child and try to eliminate problems that negatively affect your child’s psyche
• If this does not help, then contact a specialist as soon as possible.

Recommendations to help get rid of stuttering:
Talk to your baby in a low, calm tone
Do not make sudden movements with your hands in front of him
If he tells you something, then under no circumstances correct or push him.
Hug your owl child more often and talk about how much you love him

What to do when a child 6–8 years old stutters?

At this age, speech problems can be treated with the same methods described above. But, besides this, try to get along with your son or daughter trusting relationship, explain that you will always protect and support them.

You can also stick to the following recommendations :
Try to criticize your child as little as possible
Do breathing exercises
Strengthen your mental health
Use computer programs for treatment

How to get tested for a child who stutters?

A proper examination is usually carried out in three stages. Each of them must be approached very carefully, because only truthful and reliable information about the child will help in as soon as possible get rid of speech problems.
So:
Study of anamnestic data. The specialist must find out under what circumstances the stuttering appeared, how the child himself feels about this problem, and what treatment measures have been taken
Conversation with a child. During the conversation, the specialist should find out how often the baby has speech problems and whether he has concomitant problems with the motor system
Study of speech behavior. The doctor should invite the child to describe some picture, tell short poem or repeat a few phrases

Overcoming stuttering in children

Now there are many effective methods for treating logoneurosis; only a specialist can decide which one is right for your child.

Therefore, if you do not want your child’s speech problems to worsen, then do not self-medicate, and at the first symptoms, sign up for a consultation with a speech therapist.

Song repertoire for children who stutter

• No matter how strange it may sound, singing is a very good way to get rid of this problem.
• The main thing in this matter is to teach the child to sing correctly. The baby needs to be shown how to inhale correctly, how to hold his breath and how to release air through the nose.
• For treatment, you need to use simple singing songs that will stimulate the correct pronunciation of sounds that are difficult for a small person

Speech therapy work with children who stutter

If your child stutters very badly, then prepare yourself in advance for a long visit to a speech therapist. After all, if you missed the point, the specialist will have to spend a lot of time correcting your speech.

Standard treatment includes the following steps:
The child pronounces individual phrases and recites poems
The child independently describes some action
Small man tries to communicate independently with others

Speech therapy massage for children who stutter

This manipulation has a positive effect on the muscles and improves the condition of blood vessels, nerves and tissues. Massage also quite effectively reduces the manifestations of facial muscle paresis and normalizes muscle tone.

There are the following types of speech therapy massage:
Firming and relaxing
Spot
Massage using a speech therapy probe and spatula

Psychologist working with a child who stutters

Although many parents believe that a psychologist does not help much in treating speech problems, it is still worth contacting him. After all, only he, with the right approach, can help the child overcome his fears and increase self-esteem. Eliminating these factors will help normalize the flow of nerve impulses to the vocal cords.

Breathing exercises for children who stutter

Most often, breathing exercises are prescribed as an addition to other treatment methods. She helps coordinate correct breathing when pronouncing words. In combination with breathing exercises You can play games with children who stutter.

While playing, the child learns correct behavior in a group and at the same time his speech is gently restored.

Rules that will help you do the exercises correctly:
Take a sharp breath
Exhale calmly
Inhalation should be done against the background of movement
Exercises must be performed standing, sitting and lying down

Treatment of stuttering in children with folk remedies

Quite a lot of people believe that it is quite possible to get rid of logoneurosis using folk methods.

• Usually all kinds of herbs and even honey are used for treatment. Soothing teas and decoctions are prepared from them, taken fresh and added to bathing water. The most popular are chamomile, viburnum, hops, heather, ash and nettle.
• Some people think that prayer for stuttering in children can help them get rid of this problem. It is believed that monotonous pronunciation of certain words helps to control one’s emotions and fears, which in turn helps to pronounce words correctly.

If you carry out timely and correct treatment of logoneurosis in childhood, then when the child grows up he will not have any speech defects.

Simple recommendations will help you achieve this result:
Make sure your baby doesn't watch TV for a long time
Don't force people to tell poems to strangers
Show by example how to speak
Develop fine motor skills
Teach your baby to breathe correctly

Zhanna: Singing helped my son very well. At first he was shy and we had to sing songs together, but over time he liked it so much that it was impossible to listen to him again. Now we no longer have problems, but we don’t stop singing.
Ksyusha: Our stuttering began after the child was bitten by a very small dog. But he was so scared that he didn’t even want to sleep in his room. So, in addition to a speech therapist, we also had to turn to a psychologist.

Video: Stuttering in a child. What to do?

Ekaterina Morozova

Reading time: 8 minutes

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According to statistics, the most relevant age for the onset of stuttering in children is 2-5 years. The disease occurs in the form of stops in speech or random repetitions of certain sounds.

How to recognize symptoms of illness in a baby, whether it is necessary to treat this disease and by what means to do this?

Let's figure it out...

The main causes of stuttering in children - so why did the child start to stutter?

Our ancestors also encountered stuttering. There are a lot of theories about its appearance, but the final formulation of the concept was given by our scientist Pavlov, thanks to whom we understood the very nature of neuroses.

Where does stuttering come from? We study the reasons.

• Heredity. Presence of neurological diseases in parents.
• Brain development disorders (sometimes even during pregnancy).
• A certain character of the child. Inability to adapt to the external environment (choleric).
• Meningitis and encephalitis.
• Diabetes.
• Rickets.
• Immaturity of the brain.
• Cases of injury , bruises or concussions.
• Frequent colds.
• Infections ears and breathing passages.
• Psychological trauma , night terrors, frequent stress.
• Enuresis , fatigue, frequent insomnia.
• Illiterate approach to the formation of children's speech (speech too fast or too nervous).
• A sharp deterioration in living conditions.
• Late speech development with the rapid “catch-up” of lost time by the speech apparatus.

Where to turn for help for a child who stutters – diagnosis of stuttering and specialists

Overcoming stuttering is not easy. In each case (except when the child simply imitates the parent), a lot of effort will have to be spent, and only an integrated approach can guarantee results.

Games, exercises and folk remedies for stuttering in a child at home that will really help get rid of logoneurosis?

Correction - when is it time to start?

Of course, the sooner, as they say, the better. It should be understood that stuttering is a test for a child. It not only prevents you from expressing your thoughts, but is also a significant obstacle to communication with peers. We need to start “yesterday”! In very early childhood. Even before going to school, parents should minimize all manifestations of the disease. If this speech “defect” has barely made itself felt, run to a specialist!

How can you tell if a child is becoming a stutterer?

Classic symptoms:

• The baby begins to speak little or refuses to speak at all. Sometimes for a day or two. Starting to talk, he stutters.
• Before individual words, the baby inserts extra letters (note: I, A).
• Stops in speech occur either in the middle of a phrase or in the middle of a word.
• The child involuntarily repeats the first words in speech or the first syllables of words.

What's next?

• Neurotic stuttering. This variant of the disease develops outside of a breakdown of the central nervous system after mental trauma and with a tendency to neurotic states. Usually - in small choleric and melancholic people. The disease can appear due to a sharp increase in speech load. For example, when a melancholic coward is suddenly given an incredibly difficult role at a children's party.
• Neurosis-like stuttering. Compared to the previous type of disease, this variant manifests itself in a gradual increase. Parents manage to detect it only when the child begins to “spit out” complete phrases. Usually, with this type of stuttering, there are also mental and mental retardations. physical development. Most often, the examination reveals clear signs of damage to the central nervous system.

Who should I go to for treatment, and what is the treatment plan?

Of course, treatment of stuttering, regardless of the cause of its occurrence, is an exclusively comprehensive approach! And treatment begins only after a complete comprehensive examination of the baby.

First of all, you should contact see a psychologist, neurologist and speech therapist.

• In the case of neurotic stuttering, the doctor who will have to be visited more often than others will be . His treatment regimen includes teaching mom and dad the most effective measures to communicate with the baby; relieving tension - both muscular and emotional; search best methods relaxation; increasing the emotional stability of the child, etc. In addition, you will have to visit a neurologist who will prescribe medications to relieve muscle spasms and special sedatives. Well, it won’t be possible to do without a speech therapist either.
• In case of neurosis-like stuttering, the primary doctor will be speech therapist-defectologist. Psychotherapy plays a secondary role here. The work of a speech therapist (be patient) will be long and regular. The main task of the doctor is to teach the child correct speech. Unfortunately, you also cannot do without a neurologist - drug treatment will contribute to more successful work of the speech therapist.

What should parents do if their child stutters - basic rules for help and their own behavior

• Create an atmosphere of calm, love and understanding in your home. This is the most important condition. The child should feel good!
• A prerequisite is a clear daily routine. Moreover, we spend at least 8 hours sleeping!
• We take our time communicating with the baby. We don’t speak in tongue twisters, we don’t raise our voices. Just slowly, calmly, gently and clearly. It is recommended to ask the kindergarten teacher about the same.
• No scandals in the house! No stress for the child, raised voices, quarrels, negative emotions, sharp gestures and explosive intonations.
• Hug your child more often and speak to him kindly.
• It is strictly forbidden to push the baby when he comes to you with a request or wants to tell you something. Too busy parents often “shut off” their children with phrases like “come on, talk already, otherwise I’m busy!” This cannot be done! And interrupting the baby is also strictly not recommended.

And of course, less criticism.

AND more approving words and gestures for your baby. Even if his successes are very insignificant.

If you liked our article and have any thoughts on this matter, please share with us. It is very important for us to know your opinion!

Stuttering belongs to the category of diseases called logoneuroses. Treatment of stuttering in children is a complex, labor-intensive and lengthy process that requires an integrated approach. They most often appear in children when they begin to speak, somewhere between 2 and 3 years of age. The second period can occur in adolescents from 12 to 15 years of age. And during these periods you need to treat such children kindly. To begin with, I suggest taking one small test: Say the word “Streptococcus” loudly and clearly with your child. So how did it turn out? Was your child able to pronounce this word clearly and distinctly? Then he has no problems with stuttering! But if you couldn’t, be sure to read the article to the very end!

Why does stuttering occur?

I want to say right away that there will be no stuttering from fear! It's all fiction! But now I’ll tell you in more detail why stuttering actually occurs. Stuttering can be organic in nature. Everyone knows that our brain is responsible for the movements of various parts of the body, as well as for their control. So, a huge part of the brain is responsible for the lips and tongue (the centers and areas of speech formation). The first problem, speech impairment, may be associated with a stroke (this is in adults). The main cause of stuttering in children is a delay in the development of the speech center! Children may experience the first period of stuttering due to the fact that these centers and zones of speech formation, which are responsible for coordinating this speech, have not yet matured (late maturation of these zones), so you need to correctly approach understanding and treating the child, then you will compensate faster this problem. We all know that our brain has two hemispheres, left and right. The center of speech is located in the left hemisphere (for right-handed people) and if the center of speech is not formed, then the right hemisphere will interfere with the left, which is why children stutter. The task of teachers and parents is that if a child has a stutter, do not torment him by memorizing poetry and reading books, translate everything into written format!

Types of stuttering

First of all, it is necessary to determine the type of stuttering, because the plan for further action will depend on it.

• Logoneurosis, or neurotic stuttering. It occurs as a result of a psychotraumatic situation in children prone to neurotic reactions, which arise due to the innate characteristics of the nervous system (“breakdown” of the central nervous system in such children). For example, a dreamy and naturally sensitive melancholic child or an excitable, restless choleric child is more susceptible to stuttering than a naturally calm, phlegmatic child. Also, this type of stuttering can occur against the background of a sharp increase in speech load, for example, when a normally speaking but fearful 3.5-year-old melancholic baby children's party They assign him to learn a poem or role that is too difficult for him at the moment.
• Neurosis-like stuttering. Unlike the first type, it arises and grows gradually. It finally reveals itself when the child begins to speak in whole phrases. You can often notice that in addition to speech problems, such a child lags behind both physically and mental development. Neurological examination of such a child will most likely reveal signs of general damage to the central nervous system.

Types of stuttering

There are three types of stuttering:

1. Clonic type of stuttering (repetitive) - when a person (child) repeats a letter. Example: “Ma-ma-mom-ma-mama.” In this case, some sounds are repeated.
2. Conical type of stuttering - a person cannot start speaking (start with a word). He may say, “Mmmm,” followed by a pause in speech, and then “Mom.”
3. Clonic-tonic (mixed, more complex form of stuttering) - when, along with repetition, there are pauses between pronunciations.

Treatment for stuttering

Treatment for stuttering is always complex, and it should be started only after undergoing a comprehensive examination. If doctors decide that the child has a neurotic type of stuttering (logoneurosis), then the main specialist with whom you will have contact will be child psychologist. Its main tasks will be teaching relaxation methods, relieving muscle and emotional tension, increasing the child’s emotional resistance to stress, teaching parents how to effectively interact with the child, taking into account his properties of the nervous system, choosing optimal educational measures, etc. Also, most likely, a reception will be necessary pharmacotherapy in the form of drugs that calm and relieve muscle spasms, which a neurologist can choose correctly. Of course, you will also need to work with a speech therapist. In case of neurosis-like stuttering, it is more necessary to cooperate with a speech therapist-defectologist, because this type of stuttering requires mostly speech therapy assistance, which should be regular and long-term (at least a year). The main goal of a speech therapist is to teach a child to speak correctly. There will also be dynamic observation by a neurologist, who will most likely prescribe long-term complex drug treatment, which, if ignored, will not be successful. speech therapy work success. Psychotherapeutic assistance in in this case does not play a leading role.

Help with stuttering at home

For a child to overcome stuttering, working with specialists alone is not enough; treatment with folk remedies will help. It is important to learn to interact constructively with your child and create a calm, understanding atmosphere in the home, otherwise the work of specialists will go down the drain. When communicating with your child, try to adhere to the following rules.

1. Talk to your child slowly, pausing often. Wait a few seconds after your child has finished talking and before you start talking again. Your leisurely, calm speech will do more good than any criticism of the child, or advice like: “Speak more slowly,” “Repeat again slowly.”
2. Reduce the number of questions you usually ask your child. Children speak more easily when they freely express their own thoughts than when they answer questions from adults. Instead of asking questions, simply comment on what your child said, letting him know that you listened to him.
3. Use your facial expressions and gestures to let your child know that you are listening carefully to the content of his statement and do not pay attention to how he said it.
4. Set aside a few minutes every day at the same time to give your child your full attention. During this time, allow your child to do whatever he wants. Let him guide you and decide for himself whether he wants to speak or not. If you are talking to him at this time, then speak very slowly and very calmly, making many pauses. These minutes of silence and calm will help create a special atmosphere of trust for small child and will give him the opportunity to feel that his parents are pleased to communicate with him.
5. Help each family member learn to take turns speaking and listening to each other. Children, especially those who stutter, find it much easier to speak when they are not interrupted and the listener is giving them their full attention.
6. Observe how you communicate with your child. Try to listen to your child more so that he can feel confident that he will not be interrupted and that he has enough time to speak up. Try to reduce the number of criticisms, interruptions and questions to your child, and slow down your speaking rate.
7. And most importantly, show your child that you accept him for who he is. The most powerful force is your support for him, regardless of whether he stutters or not.