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4 Ways To Help Your Child Improve Stuttering

9 November 2015 by Clifford Ramos

Some kids go through a stage where they stutter their words. Stuttering is a speech disorder that disrupts the normal flow of speech. A person who stutters tends to prolong or repeat his or her words.  According to The Stuttering Foundation, over three million Americans have this speech disorder. There is no cure, but treatment can improve your child's speech. Here are four ways to treat stuttering.

Talk To A Speech Therapist

A child who is five years or older can benefit from pediatric speech therapy, according to WebMD. A speech-language pathologist evaluates your child and see if he or she is at risk for a long-term problem. This treatment helps your child to develop behavioral techniques to teach him or her to not stutter. It also helps to check with your child's school for resources. Many schools offer testing for stuttering and speech therapy classes.

Feedback Devices

Feedback devices help people to control their speech by providing them with sound feedback. They change the way your voice is heard. This device change the way the person speaks by slowing down the speed of speaking. It makes you speak slowly to make sure the speech coming through the device sounds clear.

Talk to Your Child

As a parent, you should not be afraid to talk to your child about stuttering. You should allow you child to express concern and to ask questions. Communication is an important part of helping your child to not be self-conscious. On the other hand, your child may need certain things from you and support from outside resources. Parents also need to make their child understand that stuttering is normal and ask him or her how you can help.

Don't Encourage Verbal Interaction

If your child has a stuttering problem, then you should not force him or her to talk in a public setting. You should encourage activities that do not require a lot of verbal interaction. Children who stutter have to get comfortable with talking around friends and family. With treatment, they are more willing to talk in the classroom and other public settings.

A medication is not available for treating stuttering. Most doctors recommend just waiting and watching to see if the speech disorder goes away. It helps to understand that every child's condition is different. However, early invention can help improve your child's speech. Early treatment is especially important when your child has a severe case of stuttering. For more information, contact clinics like Achieve Center. 

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