Encouragement For Stuttering Child

The average stuttering child begins suddenly, with no apparent cause; yet as quickly as he started, he stops. It is common for several members of the family to have speech disorders at some point. Stuttering is 3 to 4 times’ more likely in boys than girls and may persist throughout elementary school, although rare. The longer a child has been stuttering, the harder it is for him to stop. Parents should be concerned if the child appears to be really struggling with language or if the condition persists for more than six months.

Parents often wonder how they can help a stuttering child. After all, there must be proper reinforcement at home to help the child overcome the stuttering problem. As a parent, you might wonder, “Should I ignore the stuttering, encourage every proper sentence, or push my child to try again when he fails?” Here are some things to try. Give the child enough time to express his thoughts, no matter how many tries it takes. Secondly, make eye contact with your child whenever he is speaking. Try to use rhymes, songs and games with young children to make speaking fun and rewarding for them. Whenever you speak, do so in a calm, reassuring manner to encourage the child to do the same. Try to keep the home as free from stress as possible and seek professional advice.

There are also some things that parents should not do with a child who stutters. A common mistake is to finish the sentence for the child, which will make him feel inferior and confused. Forcing children to speak or recite something in front of visitors is also a huge embarrassment. Cruel comments like “stop stuttering” or “say it again without stuttering” will only demean the child and prohibit any sort of recovery. Even nicer prompts like “think about what you want to say before you say it” or “focus and try again” — can be troublesome and frustrating. Parents must not convey disappointment in the child’s efforts; only encouragement. The schoolyard can be a cold and lonely place for kids who are perceived as being different. Be aware of the school situation and try to ensure that no one is teasing your child about his stuttering problem.

Knowing the “dos” and “donts” of coping with a stuttering child can be extremely beneficial. Speech therapy is important for middle-school-aged children, but so is positive reinforcement at home. The best approach is to treat the child as though he or she is normal and just encountering a temporary road block. It’s important for the child to understand that speech problems can be overcome with time and persistence. There are a number of local community resources for parents to choose from, which can help them to communicate more naturally and aid in their child’s recovery.

Rene Lacape has been in the insurance industry for several years now and he has been a proficient worker in this field already. If you need anything about insurance, you can give him a call or visit his website anytime.