Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Do you ever feel like your child gets ‘stuck’ on some sounds or words? That they can’t get their message across as easily as they should?
They might be stuttering! Stuttering is a type of disorder that makes a child’s talking sound ‘bumpy’. They might have one or more of the following behaviours:
- Repeating sounds (e.g., I-I-I’m tired), parts of words (e.g., di-di-dinosaur), whole words (e.g., it-it-it was yummy), or phrases,
- Blocking (sounds like sounds/words are getting stuck),
- Prolongation (where they elongate a sound) (e.g. iiiiiiit was yummy).
Sometimes these behaviours are accompanied by other secondary behaviours that happen as a result of a stutter. They are not stuttering behaviours themselves. They include:
- Blinking their eyes or holding their eyes shut,
- Saying ‘um’ frequently.
A stutter is very frustrating to experience. Imagine trying so hard to say a word, and it simply won’t come out! This can cause a child to avoid certain situations where they need to talk, become easily frustrated when they aren’t understood, or become anxious because they know that they cannot communicate effectively.
What causes a stutter?
There isn’t any single cause of stuttering. But there are many factors which may increase the risk of your child stuttering. These include:
- A family history of stuttering: if a family member was a stutterer or currently stutters, this can mean your child is at an increased risk of developing a stutter.
- Gender: males are more likely to stutter than females.
- Age: the younger they are when they start stuttering, the more likely they are to outgrow stuttering. If your child starts stuttering at around 3.5 years or older, they are more likely to continue stuttering if it is not treated.
- Having other speech and language difficulties.
Will my child grow out of it?
Sometimes a stutter can recover on its own. Other times, it may not resolve and therefore it may continue to impact their talking, or become worse.
Why is it important to treat a stutter?
It is important to treat your child’s stutter for two main reasons:
- It is impossible to predict if the stutter will go away by itself,
- It will impact their overall talking, as well as their self-esteem when talking, and ability to be understood by others.
Both of the above can have impacts on your child’s ability to express themselves, as well as form meaningful relationships with others. It can cause your child to develop a negative attitude towards communication, making them avoiding certain tasks, talking opportunities and group participation (especially if they are in school). Research tells us that children who have a stutter are more likely to develop anxiety and a low self-esteem as they grow.
How can it be treated?
You can contact a Speech Pathologist to assess and treat your child’s stutter! Talk to your therapist about the approach as they can explain in great detail the work that involves your child, yourself, and your therapist.
References
Cherif, L., Boudabous, J., Khmakhem, K., Kammoun, S., Hadj, I., Ayadi, H., & Moalla, Y. (2018). Self-esteem and anxiety in stuttering children and attitude of their parents. Health Edu Care, 3(2), 1-5. Doi: 10.15761/HEC.1000138
https://www.stutteringhelp.org/content/recognize-risk-factors-stuttering
https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering