An 8-year-old child stutters. Stuttering in children - how to help your child

Treatment of stuttering in children, the most common speech disorder, is effectively carried out using specially developed techniques and today has a favorable prognosis.

What to do if a child starts to stutter, what stuttering is in children, causes and treatment of logoneurosis - read about this and much more in this article.

Logoneurosis in children - what is it?

Stuttering or, in medical terminology, logoneurosis is a defect in the speech sphere caused by a deviation in the functioning of the central nervous system. Speech when stuttering becomes uneven, spasmodic, accompanied by convulsive hesitations and multiple repetitions of individual sounds.

With logoneurosis in children, the following symptoms are observed:

• intermittent speech with prolongation of sounds and syllables (mm-m-m-machine, ma-ma-machine), or with forced pauses (m....machine);
• anxiety, restlessness, tension before speaking;
• unconscious movements, for example, frequent blinking, grimaces on the face, as an attempt to overcome stuttering;
• intermittent breathing with too deep a breath or rapid breathing due to excitement.

Coordinated work of organs speech apparatus, respiratory system and the voice fails and the fluency of speech is disrupted.

How to understand that a child stutters? Tightness in the face, shortness of breath, tense voice and stress from communication. If there is no tension, but there are simply hesitations in speech due to the desire to voice everything at once, then there is no need to worry.

Causes of logoneurosis in children

Why does a child stutter? The reasons for this may be:

• emotional and information overload;
• past illnesses and complications after them;
• imitation of loved ones who stutter;
• congenital weakness of the organs of articulation;
• heredity;
• trauma during childbirth;
• severe infectious diseases;
• organic disorders in the functioning of the brain.

If an overly emotional, timid, impressionable child began to stutter at 2 or 3 years old, the cause could be severe fear.

The causes of stuttering in children 3, 4, 5 years old, when the processes of speech development and vocabulary replenishment are actively underway, can be information overload. Treatment in such cases necessarily involves the organization of a gentle daily regimen with a long stay on fresh air, sufficient sleep time, lack of stress and exclusion of interaction with computer equipment.

Sometimes a child may stutter while imitating someone close to him, especially when the “speaking” process is in full swing.

Diseases with complications significantly reduce the child’s immunity, make him overly sensitive to manifestations of the outside world and can provoke speech impairment. Sluggish articulatory muscles and a lazy tongue do not at all contribute to the smooth flow of speech and can also be the cause of logoneurosis.

Cases of stuttering due to organic changes in the brain are considered complex and require deep and long-term treatment.

Types and types of stuttering in children

If a spasm of the articulatory organs occurs against the background of excitement, emotional stress, and in the absence of stress this does not occur, then this is a neurotic type of logoneurosis. If a child stutters constantly, regardless of external conditions, due to disorders of physical and mental development, then a neurosis-like type of pathology occurs.

Based on the nature of its manifestation, stuttering is divided into types:

• tonic, when due to a spasm of the speech muscles there is a prolonged pause, sounds are difficult to make, the face tenses, breathing is impaired;
• clonic, when sounds and syllables are repeated repeatedly;
• mixed, when there are signs of both tonic and clonic types.

To veil the defect, the child smiles, coughs, and yawns. Or he clenches his fists and stomps his feet in order to somehow overcome the problem. How to help a little person? How to save a child from stuttering? Before starting treatment, it makes sense to talk about the psychological roots of the problem.

Psychosomatics of logoneurosis in children

Psychologists say that methods of raising a child in a family can influence the appearance of speech problems. They are associated with types of child psychology:

• Hysterical. This is the type when a child can do anything. He is pampered and his every wish is fulfilled. Difficult times come when you have to “go out into the world,” for example, go to kindergarten and be like everyone else. Stress can trigger stuttering.
• Neurasthenic. In this case, the child is suppressed due to inconsistency with the ideals that the parents placed on a pedestal. Neglect, unwillingness to take into account his opinion, humiliation of dignity - such psychological pressure can cause logoneurosis.
• Psychasthenic. Parental overprotection and complete control by them makes the child insecure and timid. Communication with peers is difficult for him. Such a child may begin to stutter.

At risk are impressionable and overly vulnerable children, indecisive and timid.

To protect the defenseless little man out of trouble, it makes sense not to spoil the child, take into account his opinion, create conditions for communication with peers, allow him to learn the world without hypercontrol on the part of the parents. Such love for your child will make him a free person.

How to treat stuttering in a child: specialists and methods

The child began to stutter at 3-4 years old, and began to stutter at 6-7 years old. What to do? Is it possible to cure stuttering and how? Who treats stuttering in children? Let's go in order.

What to do if a child stutters? With an integrated approach, stuttering can be successfully corrected! To do this, you need to undergo an examination to determine the cause and begin treatment in a timely manner.

• The speech therapist will eliminate disturbances in the functioning of the articulatory apparatus, teach the correct pronunciation of sounds, and correct the smoothness and correctness of speech.
• A psychologist will identify the cause of the disease, help in overcoming fear, anxiety, excitement, and teach the correct attitude to stressful situations.
• The neurologist will prescribe appropriate therapy to normalize the functioning of the nervous system.

Modern techniques Treatment of the disease includes corrective and therapeutic measures.

Stabilizing the emotional state and bringing the nervous system into balance are the main points in neurotic stuttering. Tablets and medications in the form of sedative herbal preparations, hypnosis, massage, as well as breathing exercises and exercises for stuttering, agreed upon with a speech therapist, which you will regularly perform at home - all this is real help for your child.

In case of neurosis-like stuttering, therapy for brain disorders is prescribed, which is aimed at restoring mental processes. The use of tranquilizers and antispasmodics, work with a psychotherapist and speech therapist - this is the complex of treatment.

Therapeutic and health activities that parents can provide to the child are:

• walks in the fresh air, nature excursions, games, sports activities;
• good sleep;
• healthy eating;
• Creation Have a good mood what they contribute to friendly attitude to each other, improvement of the territory and premises where the child is;
• physical exercises and rhythmic dancing to music.

Treatment of stuttering at home includes a gentle and attentive attitude towards the baby. If your child stutters, here are some good tips:

• Talk to your baby slowly, take your time, pronounce every word.
• Speak calmly, with a smile, kindly.
• Sudden movements and words, shouting and jerking are unacceptable.
• If you take your baby by the hand, sit down to be “on an equal footing” and look into his eyes, he will definitely be able to tell you without hesitation everything he can’t wait to tell you about. Still would! He will feel your support!
• Have cozy readings at home, and let the heroes of fairy tales be kind and brave.
• Teach your child responsibility, independence, accustom him to work.

Conversations with children are very important for positive dynamics, they help to form right attitude to yourself, to believe in your own strengths, they teach you to set goals and go towards them.

Treatment of stuttering in adolescents

Children adolescence are also susceptible to this disease. Hormonal changes in the body, unstable psyche, revaluation of values ​​make the body vulnerable. Logoneurosis can aggravate the psychological problems inherent in this age and cause complexes.

To cure stuttering in a teenager, it is also necessary to create a unified team of medical specialists, parents and the person growing up to jointly overcome this speech disorder.

The following recommendations can help a teenager get rid of stuttering on his own as additional measures:

• Sing. You won't be able to stutter while singing. Try to do it with pleasure.
• Get creative. Limit activities that require active mental activity. Meditation, yoga, and travel are also useful.
• Keep a diary. This will give you the opportunity to think, express your thoughts in writing, and not out loud, in a calm environment. A mental monologue without stuttering will help in overcoming a speech disorder.
• Master breathing exercises, learn to breathe smoothly and measuredly. This will help your speech become the same.

Go ahead, find the strength to cope with the problem, it can be done.

Our children, regardless of age, are dear to us. Stuttering is a problem. But it is solvable and surmountable. Patience, faith in success, and most importantly, boundless love for your child can work miracles!

Stuttering is one of the most common childhood neuroses. It almost always occurs in early age(from two to five years), although occasionally there are cases when schoolchildren begin to stutter.

The time when a baby learns to speak is the most vulnerable from the point of view of stuttering. Children rejoice at the newfound opportunity to communicate, they begin to talk quickly, hastily, as if “choking” on words, patter.

At 3-4 years old, many children can observe repetition of individual syllables and words. This repetition is physiological in nature. The fact is that the speech function of the brain at this age is the weakest and most vulnerable (compared to other mental functions). It fully matures only by 5-6 years. Because of this, stress and load are primarily reflected in speech. Stuttering is more common in boys than in girls precisely for this reason: the speech function of boys matures 1-1.5 years later, and the loads, including speech, are usually the same for all children.

It is unpleasant, even bitter, to hear how a child with a stutter continually “stumbles” over individual sounds and syllables, as if they have become an insurmountable obstacle for him. At this moment, the baby’s speech muscles undergo convulsions. These convulsions can be observed not only during speech, but also before it begins.

Causes of stuttering

The literature describes many cases where stuttering appears after severe stress, fear (dog attack, intimidation, rough treatment, quarrel, fight, etc.). However, stress and fear only give an impetus, they trigger the “stuttering mechanism”, but are not its underlying cause.

Not every child begins to stutter after being attacked by a dog. This condition is due to the predisposition of his nervous system. Children with a weak, quickly depleted nervous system are at risk. If the baby is also impressionable, emotional, and anxious, any reason, even a minor one, can lead to stuttering.

This type of nervous system may be innate. But more often it is weakened by various external factors.

These may be diseases:

• Intrauterine and birth injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries, neuroinfections
• Infectious diseases (measles, whooping cough, typhoid)
• Non-communicable diseases (rickets)
• Endocrine system diseases
• Sluggish diseases of internal organs
• ENT diseases, including operations to remove tonsils and adenoids

There is also a congenital weakness of the speech apparatus (it includes the ligaments, larynx, tongue, palate, teeth), which is expressed in its rapid fatigue and inability for long-term, intensive work. Under forced loads, the voice apparatus may malfunction. This failure is expressed in various diseases, including stuttering.

Stuttering can be caused even by insufficient physical development child. In this case, the articulatory apparatus does not develop properly, fine motor skills, and they directly affect the development of speech.

Mental and psychological factors various kinds:

• Unfavorable psychological atmosphere in the family (quarrels, scandals, conflicts between parents, relatives)
• Incorrect upbringing (spoiledness, uneven upbringing, excessive demands, etc.)
• different types
• Lack (or insufficiency) of positive emotional contact with parents
• Non-compliance with the daily routine, disorder, unsettled life and everyday life of the child
• Retraining a left-handed child
• Intellectual and educational loads that are not appropriate for age

Stuttering can also be caused by excessive language load. Many parents burden their children with serious study of foreign languages ​​at a time when their native language is still poorly mastered. However, such a load may be associated with moving and a sudden change in the speech environment.

Even within the framework of the native language, you should not force the child’s development or introduce complex speech structures before the time when the child is ready for them. This can cause overstrain of the speech center and, as a result, stuttering.

In general, the development of children's speech must be approached very carefully and responsibly. The speech of adults should be clear, correct, unhurried, and expressive. It is known that young children imitate adults. They adopt the general structure of speech, its intonation, and repeat words characteristic of adults. When adults are touched by this, they act unreasonably, because they encourage the child to further imitate. At some point, the baby will want to show “how funny the neighbor boy talks”, will pretend to have a convulsion, or even immediately stutter. A skill can be fixed at the level of a conditioned reflex, and it will be difficult to get rid of it.

How to treat?

Stuttering can be corrected. According to various studies, stuttering can be cured in 7-8 cases out of 10 (the speech of other children improves to varying degrees).

The effectiveness of treatment depends on the age of the child. It is much easier for a preschooler to get rid of stuttering than for a schoolchild. If parents, having noticed problems in their child’s speech, immediately seek help and act competently and responsibly, then the stuttering will go away completely.

The first signs of stuttering

It happens that a child becomes silent suddenly and for a long time (from several hours to a day). Whether this is caused by fear, or whether the parents do not see any obvious reasons for this condition, they cannot get the child to talk - he remains silent. When he finally begins to speak, he already stutters. If you have time to consult a specialist during the period of silence, stuttering can be avoided.

Other signs of the onset of stuttering:

• The use of extra sounds before some words, usually vowels (a, i)
• Repeating words or first syllables at the beginning of a phrase
• Stopping in the middle of a phrase or word for which there is no apparent reason
• Difficulty starting speech

Having noticed any of these signs, parents should immediately contact three specialists - a psychologist, a psychoneurologist (neurologist), and a speech therapist. Remember:

Stuttering is easier to prevent than to cure.

The result and method of treatment also depends on the type of stuttering. It is good to know about this in order to understand why a child is prescribed this or that treatment.

Types of stuttering

There are two types of stuttering.

Logoneurosis

This type of stuttering is the most common and most successfully treated. It is not associated with so-called “organic damage” in the central nervous system (that is, the brain works normally with such stuttering) and is just a type of neurosis.

Logoneurosis usually begins after some traumatic situations in children predisposed to neurotic reactions.

Treatment of logoneurosis consists of helping:

1. Psychologist(psychotherapist). It will help the child cope with trauma, relax, and become more stress-resistant.
2. Neuropathologist. He will prescribe a course of medications that calm and strengthen the nervous system.
3. Speech therapist. It will help overcome speech defects: it will adjust its pace and rhythm, teach you to breathe correctly, train the muscles of the speech apparatus, and teach speech control techniques.

Neurosis-like stuttering

When examining a child with this type of stuttering, doctors detect damage to the central nervous system varying degrees gravity. Typically, such children lag behind both physically and mental development. Their stuttering develops as the baby learns to speak.

The leading role in correcting stuttering in such children belongs to the speech therapist.

In any case, treatment of stuttering is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Classes with a speech therapist, regardless of the course of the disease, should continue for at least a year.

What should parents do?

First of all, parents should never take on stuttering treatment themselves. Understand its reasons, provide the right help Only specialists can!

The job of parents is to create conditions at home that will help overcome the disease. A child with logoneurosis requires special attention, calm home environment, correct general and speech mode.

Emotional peace

You should avoid irritants that overstrain the child’s nervous system:

• Eliminate books and television programs that are not age appropriate or that overstimulate the child.
• Don't tell scary bedtime stories
• Limit TV viewing time
• Don't allow watching TV before bed
• Limit your time on the computer (or better yet, exclude any gadgets)
• Limit noisy games, visits from guests and friends; temporarily stop attending kindergarten

The baby's life should be calm and predictable: adherence to a daily routine is extremely important.

The correct method of education is no less important. You cannot spoil a child; at the same time, the requirements that are presented to him must correspond to his age. Evenness and consistency are the key to handling a child.

Punishments, if necessary, should be calm. Under no circumstances should you leave your child alone in a dark (poorly lit) room. It is better to invite him to sit on a chair, silently, in the presence of adults, and think about his behavior.

Speech mode

The speech environment is no less important for the treatment of stuttering.

• Adults must speak clearly, competently, correctly, and slowly (both with the child and among themselves).
• It is recommended to specifically speak a little slower than usual so that the baby, imitating, begins to speak more slowly.
• It is not recommended to speak in syllables or in a chant.
• You should find calm children around the child who speak well and bring the baby closer to them.
• The speech activity of the child himself should be reduced by switching attention to games, activities, and help around the house.
• Conditions should be created so that the baby listens more than he speaks (for example, tell him something all the time).

Physical development

It has been proven that physically strong children stutter less often. This is not surprising - after all, their nervous system is stronger.

When treating stuttering physical activity should become a way of life. Gymnastics, physical education, swimming, water procedures, outdoor games are suitable - everything that gradually makes the child stronger and more resilient.

Singing

The famous Soviet actor Vasily Lanovoy stuttered as a child. He went to school in a small Odessa village at the very beginning of the war. One teacher at this school found a way to help the boy. She began to learn Ukrainian songs with him. After several months of practice, the stuttering disappeared.

There are many stories about treating stuttering with singing. The point here is not only the magical effect of music, although this should not be underestimated. Singing lessons help you learn proper breathing and develop a sense of rhythm (speech therapists always use rhythmic speech when correcting stuttering). The melody makes you perceive each word as a natural continuation of the previous one, without separating the words from one another.

The words of the song are learned in advance, and not pronounced spontaneously. When singing, the child pays less attention to the words, because he tries to correctly reproduce the melody and rhythm. And if he sings in a choir, then pronunciation errors are not noticeable to anyone at all. This is how the “fear of speech” characteristic of people who stutter is overcome.

There have been no serious studies on the treatment of stuttering by singing, but many doctors recommend singing as a effective method correction of mild forms of stuttering.

Summarize. Here are four things parents can do to help a child who stutters:

1. Emotional peace
2. Speech mode
3. Physical activity
4. Additional singing lessons

Remember: stuttering can always return. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the recommendations even after the child is completely cured.

What to do if stuttering does not go away

A child who stutters often becomes timid and withdrawn. He is embarrassed by other children. There is also another extreme – increased excitability. Even if a child is undergoing treatment and struggles with stuttering, along the way he acquires various kinds of complexes.

Complexity worsens in children when they become schoolchildren. Usually boys experience their illness more acutely than girls.

Such a child will come to the board and immediately become tense, blush, and sweat.

If such conditions are repeated regularly, the so-called autonomic neurosis develops, which adds difficulties in the treatment of logoneurosis.

Children who stutter need to be helped in every possible way to get rid of false shame. Tell your child that many people stutter from time to time. Give examples of famous people who stuttered. This will help the child realize that his shortcoming is not at all a sign of a failure.

Here are just a few: Demosthenes, Isaac Newton, Lewis Carroll, Winston Churchill, Elvis Presley, Bruce Willis.

Help your child choose techniques that smooth out speech impediments, for example, words and phrases that are easier to pronounce. You can find the optimal pace and rhythm of speech, insert interjections (“well”, “here”, “this”, “uh”, “mm”).

Always treat a child who stutters kindly and correctly. You can’t emphasize its shortcoming, but you shouldn’t avoid talking about it either. Express your firm belief that your stuttering will go away. Don’t give yourself the opportunity to “go in cycles” and perceive stuttering as a tragedy. Accept speech mistakes without any reservations so that your child feels loved and accepted for who he is. There is no need to make constant comments about mistakes or incorrect speech. You can say to your child: “I see that it was a little difficult for you to pronounce this word? This happens to me too". It is good to talk more openly with the student.

What not to do:

• Look at the baby with concern or irritation, turn away from him;
• Complain about speech defects, make fun of the child (even good-naturedly);
• Stop when he speaks;
• Ask to start the phrase again;
• Ask to speak more slowly;
• Ask to take a deep breath;
• Help finish a phrase or word;
• Choose words for the child;
• Ask a lot of questions.

What to do correctly:

• Listen patiently to everything the child wants to say without interrupting him;
• Be calm, friendly, behave the same as usual;
• Maintain eye contact with the child;
• Repeat what the child says and build a further dialogue based on this.

A physically strong, resilient, self-confident person hardly notices the disease. Moreover, with age it actually weakens or goes away completely.

More optimism, faith in yourself and your child!

The normal functioning of the speech apparatus is as important for the development of a child as the ability to fully move and move around. If stuttering occurs, there is a huge danger that your baby will not only be slower than other children in learning about the world around him, but will also become more detached and withdrawn. If you notice the first signs of stuttering in your child, do not let the situation take its course.

The first signs of stuttering

When stuttering, almost all children behave the same way. the main task Parents’ goal is to recognize the first alarm bells in time and prevent further development of the problem. The main signs of stuttering include the following behavioral features:

• Stuttering is almost always accompanied by tension, anxiety and fear of speaking;
• When stuttering, unnatural movements, facial grimaces or tics are possible, with the help of which a stuttering person tries to overcome stuttering;
• The child may take a long time to pronounce the first syllables or repeat the same word several times;
• The child cannot concentrate for a long time, suddenly breaks off his speech, becomes silent;
• At the beginning or in the middle of a sentence, between words, extra sounds “A”, “O”, “I” are often repeated;
• The child often stops and thinks about every word;
• Shallow, irregular, clavicular or chest breathing, incoordination of breathing. The baby begins to speak after taking a full breath or while inhaling;
• Involuntary movements during speech - blinking, flaring of the wings of the nose, twitching of facial muscles;
• Using speech tricks to hide a defect - smiling, yawning, coughing;
• The baby begins to use gestures instead of words.

Stuttering occurs regardless of age, but most often occurs in children between the ages of 2 and 6 years, when speaking skills are being developed. Boys are three times more likely to stutter than girls. Sometimes relapse of stuttering occurs in adolescents aged 15-17 years, most often this is associated with the occurrence of neuroses.

Psychological characteristics of people who stutter

• timidity and embarrassment in the presence of people;
• excessive impressionability;
• vividness of fantasies, which intensifies stuttering;
• relative weakness of will;
• various psychological tricks to eliminate or reduce stuttering;
• fear of speaking in front of certain people or in society.

Consequences of stuttering

• Violation of social adaptation;
• Decreased self-esteem;
• Logophobia – fear of speech;
• Sound phobia – fear of uttering a single sound;
• Worsening speech defect.

Causes of stuttering

Stuttering can appear completely unexpectedly. But any type of stuttering in absolutely every case has its own reason for its occurrence. It is this reason that must be found in as soon as possible, since the further success of treatment will depend on this.

• Fright;
• Previous meningitis or encephalitis;
• Diabetes;
• Frequent insomnia and enuresis;
• Physical inactivity and fatigue;
• Prolonged stay in a tense neurotic state;
• Abrupt change environment(moving, long trip);
• Excessively strict attitude of parents towards the child;
• Disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system;
• Heredity;
• Head injury, concussion;
• Poor adaptability to society;
• Excessively late or excessively early development speeches;
• Violation of the normal functioning of the central nervous system;
• High susceptibility to colds.

In total, in medicine it is customary to distinguish 2 main types of stuttering:

1. Neurotic - occurs as a result of psychological trauma, shock (for example, fear or stress; this form of the disease is usually easy to correct) or due to an excessively increased speech load. This type of disorder mostly affects impressionable and vulnerable children.
2. Neurosis-like - often develops with damage to the nervous system, which can be inherited or become a consequence of a violation of intrauterine development.

According to the nature of the seizures, stuttering occurs:

• Tonic, associated with a sharp hypertonicity of the muscles of the lips, tongue, cheeks, leading to a pause in speech.
• Clonic - characterized by repeated contractions of the articulatory muscles, and leads to the repetition of a separate syllable or sound.
• Tonic-clonic.
• Clono-tonic.
• Articulatory.
• Voice.
• Respiratory.
• Mixed.

You should seek help from a specialist immediately after you notice signs of stuttering in your child. In the early stages, the problem can still be eliminated quickly. Therefore, do not put off going to the doctor until later; the doctor will help determine the type and type of disorder, and also prescribe effective treatment.

Why does a child stutter:

Help a child

If you have stuttering, you need to visit several doctors at once, namely speech therapist, psychologist, neurologist . After conducting a full examination and excluding symptoms not related to the disorder, you can begin full treatment.

For the neurotic type of stuttering, the doctor prescribes special therapy, which should reduce exposure to stress and violent emotions. This will help find an appropriate approach to the child and teach parents how to communicate with him correctly.

For neurosis-like stuttering, it is necessary drug treatment, combined with a visit to a psychologist. In order for the result to be noticeable and sustainable, long-term treatment is necessary, which will be accompanied by maintaining comfortable conditions in the place where the child lives.

When treating stuttering, you must adhere to the following doctor's recommendations:

• Create a comfortable environment for your child at home. Make sure that nothing unbalances your baby or provokes negative emotions, exclude cartoons and games of an aggressive nature;
• Pay special attention to a calm environment in the family - the child should not hear screaming, quarrels, experience punishment, see sudden movements and gestures;
• Communicate with your baby in calm tones, speak clearly and legibly;
• Never tell your child that he says or pronounces something incorrectly;
• Read more children's fairy tales to your child (). Do not read scary fairy tales at night, as this provokes a feeling of constant fear: fear of seeing Baba Yaga, the devil, the devil;
• Get it in the house. This way, the baby will stop feeling lonely and depressed, and will make a real friend;
• Speak to a stutterer clearly, smoothly (without separating one word from another), take your time, but do not pronounce words in syllables or into a chant;
• Try to bring your baby closer to balanced, well-spoken peers so that he learns to speak clearly and expressively;
• It is impossible to involve a stutterer in a game that excites and requires speech performances from the participants;
• If at some point your child does not want to communicate with people or with his peers on the playground, do not force him to do so.

Older children need more in-depth treatment, which includes preventing personality distortion. This therapy is carried out by a psychologist so that the child does not feel restless and does not experience complexes due to his problem. If you do not resort to this therapy, the child may develop a fear of talking and being surrounded by people.

Preventive measures

To prevent the development of possible stuttering or to consolidate the effect obtained after treatment, it is necessary to follow the following preventive measures:

1. Create an ideal daily routine for your baby, in which he will have enough time to play, walk and sleep. From 3 to 7 years of age, a child needs at least 10 hours of sleep at night and 2 hours during the day. Daytime sleep is simply necessary, since it has a positive effect on the psycho-emotional state of the baby.
2. Do not allow watching programs and cartoons that do not correspond to your child’s age category and can cause unpredictable emotional outbursts.
3. Do not overload your baby with new experiences (reading, movies, watching TV) during the period of remission after treatment.
4. Don't overload your child by forcing him to memorize entire poems to show off to friends or parents in kindergarten.
5. When punishing a child, do not leave him alone in a dark room, as there is a high risk of developing obsessive fear. Leave better than a baby without sweets or without his favorite toy if he is guilty.
6. Involve your child in music or dancing, this will help establish proper speech breathing, rhythm, tempo, and so the baby will relax and become more self-confident. Singing lessons are useful.

Stuttering in children is a fairly serious problem, but it can be completely eliminated if you pay attention to it in time and seek help from the right specialist.

What should you do if your child starts to stutter?

SDK: Classes with a speech therapist: stuttering

Dr. Komarovsky, together with speech therapist Victoria Goncharenko, will find out how parents should act if their child has a speech disorder: which doctor to see, which daily routine to choose, what to do with the baby. Also, Evgeny Olegovich and his guest will answer questions from the audience, describing algorithms for the behavior of parents with children who stutter.

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 old. 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 areas of speech formation, which are responsible for coordinating this speech, have not yet matured ( late maturation these zones), so you need to have the right approach to understanding and treating the child, then you will quickly compensate for 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 in both physical 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 that case goes repetition of some sounds.
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 crown the speech therapy work with success. Psychotherapeutic assistance 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 will help. folk remedies. 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 typically 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 moments 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.