{"id":53,"date":"2015-12-01T14:49:22","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T19:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/?p=53"},"modified":"2015-12-01T14:49:22","modified_gmt":"2015-12-01T19:49:22","slug":"stuttering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/2015\/12\/01\/stuttering\/","title":{"rendered":"Stuttering"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is it Really Stuttering?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Normal Disfluency<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Children with normal disfluencies<\/span><\/span>\u00a0between 18 months and 3 years will exhibit repetitions of sounds,\u00a0syllables, and words, especially at the beginning of sentences. These\u00a0occur usually about once in every ten sentences.<\/p>\n

After 3 years of age, children with normal disfluencies are less\u00a0likely to repeat sounds or syllables but will instead repeat whole\u00a0words (I-I-I can\u2019t) and phrases (I want\u2026I want\u2026I want to go). They will also commonly use fillers\u00a0such as \u201cuh\u201d or \u201cum\u201d and sometimes switch topics in the middle of a sentence, revising and leaving sentences unfinished.<\/p>\n

Children may be disfluent at any time but are likely to increase their disfluencies\u00a0when they are tired, excited, upset, or being rushed to speak. They also may be more\u00a0disfluent when they ask questions or when someone asks them questions.<\/p>\n

Their disfluencies may increase in frequency for several days or\u00a0weeks and then be hardly noticeable for weeks or months, only to\u00a0return again.<\/p>\n

Mild Stuttering<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mild stuttering may begin at any time between the ages of 18 months\u00a0and 7 years, but most frequently begins between 3 and 5 years, when\u00a0language development is particularly rapid. Some children\u2019s\u00a0stuttering first appears under conditions of normal stress, such as\u00a0when a new sibling is born or when the family moves to a new home.<\/p>\n

Children who stutter mildly<\/em>\u00a0may show the same sound, syllable, and\u00a0word repetitions as children with normal disfluencies but may have a\u00a0higher frequency of repetitions overall as well as more repetitions\u00a0each time<\/span>. For example, instead of one or two repetitions of a syllable, they\u00a0may repeat it four or five times, as in \u201cCa-ca-ca-ca-can I have that?\u201d<\/p>\n

They may also occasionally prolong sounds, as in \u201cMMMMMMMommy, it\u2019s\u00a0mmmmmy ball.\u201d In addition to these speech behaviors, children with\u00a0mild stuttering may show signs of reacting to their disfluency.\u00a0For example, they may blink or close their eyes, look to the side, or\u00a0tense their mouths when they stutter.<\/p>\n

Another sign of mild stuttering is the increasing persistence of\u00a0disfluencies. As suggested earlier, normal disfluencies will appear\u00a0for a few days and then disappear. Mild stuttering, on the other hand, tends to appear more regularly. It may occur only in\u00a0specific situations, but it is more likely to occur in these\u00a0situations, day after day. A third sign associated with mild\u00a0stuttering is that the child may not be deeply concerned about the\u00a0problem, but may be temporarily embarrassed or frustrated by it.\u00a0Children at this stage of the disorder may even ask their parents why\u00a0they have trouble talking.<\/p>\n

Severe Stuttering<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Children with severe stuttering usually show signs of physical\u00a0struggle, increased physical tension, and attempts to hide their\u00a0stuttering and avoid speaking. Although severe stuttering is more\u00a0common in older children, it can begin anytime between ages 5 and\u00a07 years. In some cases, it appears after children have been\u00a0stuttering mildly for months or years. In other cases, severe\u00a0stuttering may appear suddenly, without a period of mild stuttering\u00a0preceding it.<\/p>\n

Severe stuttering is characterized by speech disfluencies in\u00a0practically every phrase or sentence; often moments of stuttering are one second or longer in\u00a0duration. Prolongations of sounds and silent blockages of speech are\u00a0common.<\/p>\n

The severely stuttering child may, like the milder stutterer, have\u00a0behaviors associated with stuttering: eye blinks, eye closing,\u00a0looking away, or physical tension around the mouth and other parts of\u00a0the face. Moreover, some of the struggle and tension may be heard in\u00a0a rising pitch of the voice during repetitions and prolongations. The\u00a0child with severe stuttering may also use extra sounds like \u201cum,\u201d\u00a0\u201cuh,\u201d or \u201cwell\u201d to begin a word on which he expects to stutter.<\/p>\n

Severe stuttering is more likely to persist, especially in children who have been stuttering\u00a0for 18 months or longer, although even some of these children will recover spontaneously. The\u00a0frustration and embarrassment associated with real difficulty in\u00a0talking may create a fear of speaking. Children with severe\u00a0stuttering often appear anxious or guarded in situations in which\u00a0they expect to be asked to talk. While the child\u2019s stuttering will\u00a0probably occur every day, it will probably be more apparent on some\u00a0days than others.<\/p>\n

Parents of children who stutter severely inevitably have some degree\u00a0of concern about whether their child will always stutter and about\u00a0how they can best help. Many parents also believe, mistakenly, that\u00a0they have done something to cause the stuttering. In almost all cases, parents have not done anything to cause the stuttering. They\u00a0have treated the child who stutters just like they treat their other\u00a0children, yet they may still feel responsible for\u00a0the problem.<\/p>\n

They will benefit from reassurance that their child\u2019s stuttering is a\u00a0result of many causes and not simply the effect of something they did\u00a0or didn’t do.<\/p>\n

Tips for Speaking with Someone who Stutters<\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • 1. Don\u2019t make remarks like: \u201cSlow down,\u201d \u201cTake a breath,\u201d or \u201cRelax.\u201d\u00a0Such simplistic advice can be felt as demeaning and is not helpful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • 2. Let the person know by your manner that you are listening to what he\u00a0or she says \u2014 not how they say it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • 3. Maintain natural eye contact and wait patiently and naturally\u00a0until the person is finished.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • 4. You may be tempted to finish sentences or fill in words. Try not\u00a0to do so.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • 5. Be aware that those who stutter usually have more trouble\u00a0controlling their speech on the telephone. Please be patient in this\u00a0situation. If you pick up the phone and hear nothing, be sure it is\u00a0not a person who stutters trying to start the conversation before you\u00a0hang up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n
            • 6. Speak in an unhurried way \u2014 but not so slowly as to sound\u00a0unnatural. This promotes good communication with everyone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Tips for Talking with Your Child<\/span><\/h2>\n
                \n
              • Reduce the pace. Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently. Wait a few seconds after your child finishes before you begin to speak. Your own easy relaxed speech will be far more effective than any advice such as \u201cslow down\u201d or \u201ctry it again slowly.\u201d For some children, it is also helpful to introduce a more relaxed pace of life for awhile.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                  \n
                • Full listening. Try to increase those times that you give your child your undivided attention and are really listening. This does not mean dropping everything every time she speaks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                    \n
                  • Asking questions. Asking questions is a normal part of life \u2013 but try to resist asking one after the other. Sometimes it is more helpful to comment on what your child has said and wait.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                      \n
                    • Turn taking. Help all members of the family take turns talking and listening. Children find it much easier to talk when there are fewer interruptions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                        \n
                      • Building confidence. Use descriptive praise to build confidence. An example would be \u201cI like the way you picked up your toys. You\u2019re so helpful,\u201d instead of \u201cThat\u2019s great.\u201d Praise strengths unrelated to talking as well, such as athletic skills, being organized, independent, or careful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                          \n
                        • Special times. Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day when you can give your undivided attention to your child. This quiet, calm time \u2014 no TV, iPad or phones \u2014 can be a confidence builder for young child<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          Is it Really Stuttering? Normal Disfluency Children with normal disfluencies\u00a0between 18 months and 3 years will exhibit repetitions of sounds,\u00a0syllables, and words, especially at the beginning of sentences. These\u00a0occur usually about once in every ten sentences. After 3 years of age, children with normal disfluencies are less\u00a0likely to repeat sounds or syllables but will instead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1581,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1581"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/millerslp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}