Stuttering is considered one of the most persistent. This pathology can appear at any age, but in most cases it can be diagnosed in children who are beginning to speak.

The sooner the disease is treated, the greater the chance of getting rid of the disease forever. Treatment is carried out comprehensively and includes several types of techniques. We will talk about the causes and treatment of stuttering in children in this article.

Concept and characteristics

Stuttering is speech impediment caused by certain disorders of the central nervous system.

This pathology manifests itself against the background of convulsions of the articulatory organs and manifests itself in the form of repetition of individual sounds during the formulation of a thought.

The child has difficulty pronouncing words. Some sounds may not only be repeated, but also be accompanied by specific and forced stops in speech. In medical terminology, stuttering is "logoneurosis".

What could be causing it?

Stuttering may be congenital or acquired. In the first case, the key role is played by the period of pregnancy, the state of health of the parents, labor and diseases suffered during the newborn period.

Stuttering can develop not only initial stages speech development, but also in school or adolescence. For example, such a pathology often becomes a consequence of retraining a left-handed person.

Why does a child stutter? Causes of stuttering in children the following factors may be involved:

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Forms and degrees

In medical practice, stuttering is divided into several types depending on the stage of development of the pathology, its etiology, as well as certain types of symptoms. According to the degree of progression, the disease can be light, medium and heavy.

The first stage is accompanied by a weak manifestation of signs of stuttering, which arise under the influence of external factors. The average degree of pathology manifests itself in the form of stuttering during speech. A severe form of stuttering is characterized by pronounced symptoms.

Other stuttering classifications:

• by the nature of convulsive states of the speech apparatus (mixed, articulatory, vocal, tonic, respiratory, clonic and clonic-tonic form);
• by the nature of occurrence (constant, recurrent and wave-like form);
• by etiology (neurotic and neurosis-like stuttering).

How does it manifest?

The first symptoms of stuttering usually appear in children aged 3-5 years.

The child has difficulty pronouncing words. It is possible to recognize the signs of stuttering without conducting a special examination.

Symptoms of the disease can be permanent or temporary. For example, stuttering may be caused by a child's anxiety or embarrassment. Such conditions are also needs to be treated.

Symptoms Childhood stuttering manifests itself in the following conditions:

1. When trying to start speech, the child experiences convulsions of the speech apparatus.
2. The child’s speech is accompanied by increased facial expressions (increased blinking, flaring of the wings of the nose, etc.).
3. While pronouncing words, the child pauses and repeats individual sounds.
4. Breathing problems when pronouncing certain sounds (for example, deep breaths).
5. At an older age, children can use specific tricks to disguise their stuttering (at the moment of a pause, the child may begin to smile, cough or yawn).

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Diagnostics

In the process of diagnosing stuttering in children Several specialists are involved. The child must be examined by a speech therapist, neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist and pediatrician.

When identifying the causes of a speech defect, family history must be taken into account.

If stuttering is passed on to a child at the genetic level, it will be extremely difficult to get rid of it.

Diagnosis of childhood stuttering carried out using the following methods:

• general assessment of the child’s speech;
• rheoencephalography;
• MRI of the brain;

Basic methods of treatment and correction

What to do? How to treat the disease? Stuttering goes away without special treatment measures only in isolated cases.

Such a speech defect must be eliminated, and therapy should begin at the first signs of disruption in the child’s process of sound reproduction.

Speech therapy classes, breathing exercises, some types of special massage and computer programs will help correct the situation. In most cases, therapy involves mandatory medication intake to normalize the functioning of damaged parts of the brain.

Speech therapy classes

A set of speech therapy exercises is developed for each child individually. First carried out comprehensive examination baby, the causes of the disease are clarified, and the degree of pathology is determined.

Only after studying the clinical picture of the disease, the speech therapist chooses classes, the regular implementation of which will speed up the process of normalizing the child’s speech.

Examples of speech therapy exercises:

1. "Funny carousels"(the child slowly walks in a circle, saying with the speech therapist the phrase “we are funny carousels, opa-opa-opa-pa-pa, tatati-tata-tata”).
2. "Chicks"(the child jumps on one leg, repeating the phrases “clap-top-clap”, “oof-iv-av”, “tap-tip-rap-rop-tsip-tsip”).
3. "Conductor"(the speech therapist portrays a conductor; when raising his hands, the child chants vowel sounds, and when bringing his hands together, consonants).

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are carried out with the child based on the methodology developed A.N. Strelnikova. You can stand or sit while performing the complex. Inhalations are always made sharply, and exhalations are smooth and slow.

Exercises can be combined with games to make it more interesting for the child to reproduce them.

Examples of exercises:

Acupressure

Acupressure for stuttering in children is aimed at influencing certain areas of the speech apparatus.

Smooth massaging movements should be applied to the corners of the lips, the area near the sinuses, earlobes, the bridge of the nose, the middle of the chin and the tip of the nose. During the massage, you can turn on relaxing music or recite calm poems.

Computer programs

For the treatment of stuttering in children, they are especially popular. special computer programs. They are approved and used by many specialists.

The programs can also be used for home treatment of speech defects in children.

Their main goal is reproducing correct speech intonation and impact on the child’s speech apparatus by playing with a simulator.

Examples of computer programs:

• Demosthenes;
• Speak gentle;
• Dr. Fluence.

Medicines

The use of medications is an auxiliary treatment method for stuttering. Taking certain types of drugs is prescribed to normalize brain function and eliminate pathologies of the central nervous system.

If you take medications and do not treat with basic methods, the therapy will have no effect.

If a child stutters, the following types may be prescribed: drugs:

• anticonvulsants (Epileptal, Phenibut);
• remedies from the homeopathic range (Tenoten);
• drugs with a sedative effect (Motherwort, Valerian);
• nootropic products (Piracetam, Actovegin);
• tranquilizers (selected individually).

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What can you do at home?

Is it possible to treat a baby at home? Home exercises to eliminate stuttering must be carried out without fail.

You can sing songs with your child so that he learns to stretch out sounds, play games that involve playing certain sounds in combination with specific movements.

The set of such exercises can be specified from a doctor or specialized teacher.

The following measures can be taken to treat stuttering at home:

1. Introduce into the child's diet sedatives based on medicinal herbs (decoctions of lemon balm, chamomile or St. John's wort).
2. Repetition speech therapy classes, breathing exercises and acupressure (you must first check with specialists simple exercises, which can be easily reproduced at home).
3. When talking to a child Special attention is given eye contact.
4. Parents should read to a child books and discuss their contents with your child.
5. If the child will talk slower, then it will be easier for him to reproduce individual sounds; this method must be demonstrated by your own example.

Advanced forms of stuttering can radically change a child’s quality of life and cause violations of his social adaptation.

The consequences of the disease are decreased self-esteem, fear of communication, difficulties with writing words and learning to read.

To prevent such factors, Dr. Komarovsky advises parents approach education with a high degree of responsibility children with stuttering and their cure for this disease. The forecast will directly depend on the usefulness of the measures taken and their timeliness.

A special approach to education

When raising a child with a stutter, standard rules are used, but with some adjustments. Don't focus on your baby's illness, but classes to eliminate speech defects should be carried out even during games.

Children with stuttering must be punished loyally. Stressful situations are unacceptable. A favorable atmosphere in the family and raising the child with love and respect can speed up the treatment process.

When raising a child who stutters, the following must be observed: rules:

• You cannot interrupt the child’s speech, make aggressive comments or focus on his illness;
• the atmosphere in the family should be favorable and calm (quarrels in front of the child should be excluded);
• the child should be praised more often, but not spoiled (the child’s whims can aggravate the process of stuttering treatment);
• authoritarian methods of education should be excluded;
• the child must be accustomed to a daily routine and sequence of actions;
• do not overload the child educational material(reading aloud, retelling).

Prognosis for stuttering in children directly depends on the timeliness of treatment. In some cases, it is not possible to get rid of the disease, but you can make it less pronounced.

Regardless of the stage and form of the pathology, parents need to prepare for long and labor-intensive treatment baby. Children with speech impediments require special attention.

Doctor Komarovsky about stuttering in children in this video:

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Incorrect speech in a child is a common problem faced by parents of preschoolers and primary schoolchildren. At this stage of growing up, the baby’s speech apparatus is still developing, and therefore it is much easier to correct all deficiencies than in a teenager. Stuttering in children is caused by various factors, congenital and acquired. However, this can be solved if you notice and take action in time. Otherwise, there is a danger that the problem will persist for life.

What is

Stuttering in children 3-5 years old is a speech defect, mainly caused by the state of the child’s psyche. This disease is otherwise called logoneurosis. It represents a sharp reduction in the organs of articulation, accompanied by a disruption of the rhythm, hesitations, delays in speech, repetitions of letters and syllables, and intermittency. It is not observed as often as other speech defects - only in 2-4% of cases. Boys are more likely to stutter.

At this age, the baby learns to speak fully, repeats individual sounds and words after those around him, and copies someone else’s manner of speech. During this period, it is important for parents to help the little man form correct speech.

If you let the disease take its course, it may go away on its own over time. However, it will most likely continue to be present, creating complexes and making it difficult to socialize. Stuttering may also indicate serious neurological problems.

How it manifests itself

Stuttering in a child is accompanied by the following symptoms:

1. Speech spasms when pronouncing a word. Usually occur at the beginning of a word (phrase) or in the middle. Hesitation and repetition occur on the same letter (“mm-mm-mm...”) or on one syllable (“ma-ma-ma...”).
2. Pauses that are long and occur in the middle of a word. Or stretching a vowel sound too long in the middle or beginning of a word.
3. A combination of the first two symptoms, when hesitations and repetitions are combined with pauses.

In addition, secondary symptoms most often occur when stuttering occurs. Often the child becomes more nervous, aggressive or, conversely, whiny. Logoneurosis is often combined with nervous tics, enuresis, excessive sweating, sleep disturbances, and loss of appetite. During communication, the baby may blush and worry, which creates even greater obstacles when trying to pronounce a phrase.

An older child, especially if he constantly communicates with other children, may withdraw into himself. He makes contact worse and gets nervous when it is necessary to communicate with someone. The baby's speech becomes confused in general, dull, monotonous, without expression and emotional coloring. Therefore, you need to get rid of the problem the sooner, the better.

Parents often confuse stuttering in a 3-year-old child with natural, physiological stuttering. They are expressed in pauses in the baby’s speech. They arise because he is still learning to speak, and does not always know how to express in words what comes to his mind and how to correctly formulate complex verbal structures.

The wider the little man’s vocabulary, the faster he will be able to get rid of physiological stutters. Developmental activities, reading, and communication between adult family members and the child play an important role in this.

How to distinguish such natural hesitations from stuttering? In both cases, pauses, hesitations and repetitions of words and syllables occur. But with logoneurosis they occur due to a seizure, and in other cases - because the baby is trying to find the right word.

You can distinguish by the location of the hesitation. When stuttering, a child begins to stammer at the beginning of a word or at a certain combination of letters. In case of physiological hitches - anywhere in the phrase, especially when constructing complex verbal structures.

In addition, when stutterers find themselves in an unusual environment or interact with people, their speech defect manifests itself especially actively, but otherwise, on the contrary, the baby’s speech becomes smooth.

A child whose speech apparatus is fine usually does not notice hesitations in his speech and does not attach importance to them. If this is logoneurosis, even completely Small child realizes that something is wrong, begins to get nervous and worry.

Causes

Stuttering can be either congenital - if it appeared when the child began to speak, or acquired - if, for example, stuttering appeared for the first time in a 5-year-old child, and before that he spoke normally. They differ for reasons.

Congenital

Causes of congenital stuttering in children:

1. Difficult pregnancy. If this stage is accompanied by fetal hypoxia - when it lacks oxygen, then this can affect the formation of its speech apparatus. Infectious diseases suffered by a woman during pregnancy also have an impact.
2. Birth injury. The formation of the articulatory apparatus can also be affected by hypoxia, but this does not arise in utero, but during a long, difficult birth. When you receive a birth injury, brain cells can be damaged. Early babies who are born prematurely often suffer.
3. Heredity. Speech impairment is also inherited. And this is a fairly common reason.
4. Features of temperament. Choleric children are more likely to stutter than melancholic or sanguine children. Their nervous excitability is much higher.

If a little person spoke well until a certain age, and then suddenly began to stutter, this is a sign of an acquired disease.

Acquired

Causes of acquired stuttering in children:

1. Experienced stress. It's a loss loved one, sudden change of situation, severe fear. Psychosomatics also plays a role.
2. Lack or excess of attention. Spoiled, capricious children often stutter.
3. Increased demands from parents.
4. Difficult home environment. Children from dysfunctional families often suffer, where there are often scandals, quarrels, and assault. Divorce of parents can also have an impact.
5. Spending a long time at the computer or in front of the TV. This generally affects mental development.
6. Diseases. Serious consequences include meningitis, encephalopathy, head injuries, influenza and other diseases.
7. Pseudo-stuttering. This phenomenon occurs in families where one of the elders suffers from stuttering. Then the baby is able to adopt the manner of speaking from a loved one without suffering from any disorders.

To determine what causes the speech disorder, you need to observe the child. Does the problem occur when you are nervous, in the presence of strangers, or in an unusual environment? Then, most likely, logoneurosis is acquired. If the child stutters consistently, in any environment, then the problem is congenital. However, only a qualified specialist can accurately determine the reasons.

Varieties

In addition to congenital and acquired, there are several main types of the disease:

• pathological – congenital, genetically determined;
• neurotic – after trauma, stress, serious experiences, fear, etc.;
• tonic - a variety with pauses in words and stretching of vowel sounds;
• clonic – inability to pronounce a certain sound or syllable, their frequent repetition;
• combined – combines the symptoms of tonic and clonic;
• stable - unchanging stuttering, independent of circumstances;
• unstable - manifests itself only in certain situations;
• cyclical - with it, stages of stuttering alternate with periods of normal speech.

These varieties can be combined with each other. For example, when failures occur in a certain environment, but cyclically, alternating with periods when everything is easy to pronounce.

Severity

Logoneurosis also varies in severity. There are three stages:

1. Easy. Disturbances in speech occur only under stress, severe anxiety, in an unusual environment, or when in contact with new people. Under normal conditions, the defect is practically invisible.
2. Average. Speech defects appear if the baby begins to worry even a little or if some difficult tasks arise for him.
3. Heavy. The baby stutters constantly, and the speech impediment is often combined with limb spasms, facial tics, and redness.

It is important to know that logoneurosis can progress over time - if nothing is done to treat it. The sooner parents contact a doctor with their baby, the sooner and better help will be provided. The risk of aggravation and recurrence of the problem in this case is minimal.

Diagnostics

If signs of logoneurosis appear, it is worth showing the child to a pediatric neurologist or pediatrician, who will write a referral to a neurologist. The specialist will determine the exact causes of the disease and outline ways to correct it.

Usually, to establish a diagnosis and causes, it is enough to examine the child, collect an anamnesis, and interview. The doctor will diagnose speech: evaluate tempo, breathing, motor skills, articular cramps, voice, and so on.

If a brain injury is suspected, a CT scan will be needed. If it is difficult to determine the reasons, a comprehensive examination of the baby is required.

A comprehensive examination will help identify possibly hidden developmental problems and avoid relapses of the disease in the future. It will also determine how to treat stuttering in a child.

Treatment

Initial diagnosis and treatment is carried out by pediatric neurologist, in the future you may need the help of a speech therapist and psychologist (if the problem lies psychologically). The choice of treatment method depends on the causes of stuttering and its severity, and on the medical report.

Drug treatment

If stuttering is caused by serious diseases and brain injuries, disturbances in the functioning of speech centers, or serious mental trauma, medications. These are tranquilizers and anticonvulsants. Such medications are taken only as prescribed by a doctor and are sold in pharmacies with a prescription. Their uncontrolled use can cause harm to the developing body. Depending on the severity of the disease and the individual characteristics of the body, treatment can last from several months to several years.

For minor psychological problems, stress, or increased excitability, the baby may be prescribed sedatives, sedatives, or, conversely, those that increase concentration and improve brain activity.

Treatment for stuttering is not only medication or hardware. It is prescribed comprehensively - in combination with classes with a speech therapist, breathing and speech gymnastics, and work with a psychologist. It is also important to create a favorable psychological environment for the baby.

Hardware treatment

The method is carried out using special computer programs that correct the functioning of the auditory and speech centers. Such programs are used for children over five years of age who are able to understand and complete the task given by the computer.

It happens like this: the child must repeat after the program phrases that are slowly and clearly dictated to him through headphones. By adjusting to the sound of the phrase, the child learns to speak smoothly, rhythmically, clearly pronouncing each sound. Communication with a computer program minimizes the child’s excitement and nervousness, and his fear of making mistakes.

Working with a speech therapist

An integral treatment for stuttering in children is working with a speech therapist. In addition to working with the baby, the specialist will also explain to parents the principles of treatment and teach them how to perform exercises with the child - so that they can practice with him at home.

Speech therapy for stuttering is based on exercises aimed at normalizing breathing and speech rate. Since the baby is being treated, all classes are conducted in game form.

For correction, special songs, poems, and rhythmic exercises are used. Excellent results can be achieved by sending your child to singing lessons, including choral singing - this is a frequent recommendation from a speech therapist. Singing is an excellent exercise for the speech apparatus, the ligaments are trained, tension and spasms disappear.

It is important that the activities are interesting to the baby. In an easy, interesting game form, he will be able to relax and overcome psychological difficulties.

Working with a psychologist

This type of treatment is necessary if stuttering is caused by psychological trauma, stress, fear, loss of loved ones, and so on. Or, on the contrary, stuttering caused psychological problems - isolation, shyness, difficulties in communicating with other people.

Even an adult is not always able to cope with the burden of problems and worries that have fallen on him, let alone a little person. A competent specialist will help the baby get rid of accumulated negativity, nervousness and stress, and heal mental wounds.

Massage

In addition to sessions with a speech therapist, massage sessions may be prescribed. If a speech spasm is caused by overstrain of the articulatory apparatus, then the cheeks, neck, shoulder girdle, and facial muscles are also tense.

Massage in these areas will help relieve muscle tension, relax, improve blood circulation, relieve spasms and nervous tension. Therapy should be carried out by a specialist, but he can show basic techniques to parents.

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are based on normalizing the breathing rhythm and relaxation. The child learns to pronounce words as he exhales, completely, without hesitation. Forming proper breathing helps improve blood circulation in the body as a whole, relieve tension, and improve speech characteristics.

The popular Strelnikova gymnastics is often used for this, but you should not do it yourself - for example, using video lessons. A physiotherapist should teach both parents and the baby how to do the exercises correctly, and only then the acquired skills can be used at home.

Incorrect breathing exercises can aggravate the baby's condition. Blood pressure will rise, headaches and dizziness will appear, as a result of which he will become even more nervous and will not want to study further.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is used in rare cases if it is not possible to determine (and, accordingly, eliminate) the cause of acquired stuttering, and the child does not remember what caused him psychological trauma or frightened him.

The method is not used on small children; most often you can start from middle school age. In addition, the child may not be hypnotizable.

Traditional methods

Traditional methods are often used in addition to the basic ones. This is herbal medicine using sedative herbs if logoneurosis is caused by overexcitability or nervous tension.

Relaxing herbs (chamomile, linden, motherwort, mint, lemon balm and others) are used in the form of soothing mixtures or added to baths. However, in combination with medications, these drugs can lead to excessive inhibition. Therefore, you should consult your doctor before using them. It is he who will determine how to cure stuttering in children.

To help your baby get rid of the disease and its accompanying problems, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

1. The child should be aware of what is happening to him, but one should not focus on the problem. This is especially important when he starts to stutter - if at this moment you start to encourage him, suggest words, help, it will be even worse.
2. You need to listen carefully to the child in order to understand the meaning of what he said the first time and not ask again.
3. If stuttering is combined with other speech defects, then they need to be treated by a speech therapist at the same time.
4. During exercises, you need to concentrate the baby's attention on them. There is no need for the TV to be on in the room, music playing or other people talking at this time.
5. Classes should be held in a calm, comfortable environment, with pleasure and interest.
6. Watching TV, computer games, and the use of various gadgets should be limited.
7. Moderate physical activity - exercise, swimming - will be useful.
8. Under no circumstances should you overload your child with activities in the hope of getting results as quickly as possible. This, on the contrary, will worsen the situation. Classes should alternate with rest.

An important condition for recovery is a favorable psychological environment at home. Scandals, quarrels at home, tense relationships between parents - all this will delay the moment of recovery. For the sake of the baby’s well-being, his parents must become a single team.

Many parents do not want to send a child with a stutter to a kindergarten group with speech disorders. They believe that with ordinary children he will adapt faster and begin to speak normally. But that's not true. Small children who do not suffer from any disorders can adopt the speech style of such a child (pseudo-stuttering). And older children may be bullied if they are different from them.

Prevention

Prevention of stuttering begins with pregnancy. The well-being of the future family member largely depends on its course. After the birth of a child, the psychological atmosphere in the family, calmness, and love play an important role. However, you should not overindulge your offspring.

It is necessary to establish a certain daily routine for the baby, in which useful activities would alternate with rest. Sleep should be complete; daily walks, proper nutrition, and physical activity are also necessary.

Stress, trauma - physical and psychological, hypothermia, and viral diseases should be avoided. All this will help to avoid not only tongue-tiedness, but also many other health problems for the baby. After all, the best prevention of all diseases is healthy image life and peace of mind.

The joy of parents when the child pronounces the first words and phrases can soon be overshadowed by the appearance of a stutter in the baby. What to do? Can it be cured? Such questions confront parents and force them to rush from speech therapist to neurologist, and from doctors to traditional healers. Let's try to figure out what the problem of stuttering in children is, what are the causes of the phenomenon and what treatment can be used if the disease appears.

What is stuttering?

Stuttering can be triggered by severe fright or psycho-emotional shock.

Stuttering is understood as a disturbance in the smoothness and rhythm of speech. This is a complex speech pathology caused by the muscles of the speech apparatus. Most often, stuttering appears in children aged 2 to 5 years, when phrasal speech is formed and actively developing. Its occurrence can be sudden, and intensify as the baby develops.

Little children often repeat normally pronounced words: “Give me, give me, give me water.” But the child can only repeat the sounds: “G-g-give me some water.” Experts believe that repeating a sound more than 2 times is the initial manifestation of stuttering.

Among children, stuttering is observed, according to world statistics, in 2-3% of children. In girls, this speech pathology occurs 4 times less often than in boys. It is believed that this is due to the greater emotional stability of girls. Stuttering worsens during the first year of school and during adolescence. It affects the child’s behavior and his adaptation in the team.

In some children, stuttering appears only during periods of excitement or stressful situations. In a calm environment, the child seems to forget about his speech problems. And when talking on the phone, communicating with a stranger, or when speaking in public, he stutters severely.

Causes of stuttering

Stuttering is the most common childhood neurosis. It is usually called logoneurosis. The delay in the pronunciation of sounds and syllables is associated with convulsions of the speech muscles: the muscles of the tongue, lips, and larynx. They can be tonic and clonic.

With tonic convulsions (tension of these muscles), it is difficult to overcome a disruption in speech, and therefore there are difficulties in pronouncing consonant sounds. With clonic convulsions, there is a repetition of the initial sounds or syllables of a word, and the pronunciation of extra vowels (i, a) before a word or phrase. Although quite often stuttering is tonic-clonic.

The immediate cause of a child's stuttering can be:

1. Physiological disorders:

• damage to the nervous system after birth trauma;
• smoking and alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy;
• hereditary predisposition;
• trauma;
• diseases of the speech organs (larynx, nose, pharynx);
• changes in the nervous system due to illness (infectious diseases);
• retraining a left-hander to be right-handed.

1. Psychological reasons:

• stressful situations, psycho-emotional shocks;
• loss of loved ones;
• neurotic reactions: childhood fears (fear of the dark, punishment, etc.);
• expressed feelings of resentment, jealousy;
• desire to attract the attention of parents;
• severe fright (thunderstorms, dogs, horror scenes in a film).

1. Social reasons:

• excessive parental strictness;
• imitating a family member or another child who stutters;
• overloading the child with speech material (early learning of a foreign language or even several languages);
• insufficient parental attention during the formation of speech, which leads to fast, hasty speech and skipping syllables;
• transfer of the child to another kindergarten or school;
• moving to another place of residence.

TO provoking factors can be attributed:

• overfatigue of the child (school loads, uncontrolled TV viewing, long-term computer games, etc.);
• family troubles and scandals;
• problems at school;
• unbalanced diet with excess protein in the diet;
• period of teething and adolescence;
• endocrine system disorders;
• infectious diseases.

Parental behavior tactics

If a child develops a stutter, parents are advised not to focus their attention on this, but to create a comfortable psychological environment in the family.

When stuttering is detected in a child, there is no need to focus the child’s attention on this speech disorder, so as not to conditionally reinforce its occurrence. The child must be made to understand that what is interesting is what exactly he wants to say, and not how he says it. Parental anxiety about a speech defect further depresses the child.

An important task for parents is to protect the baby from ridicule, in order to prevent the development of an inferiority complex and decreased self-esteem. Children can often be cruel, and in the team there may be someone who likes to bully a child who stutters.

If the teacher cannot correct the situation, and ridicule and forced isolation of the child in the team continue, then the child should stop visiting for the period of treatment kindergarten. Otherwise, the child’s developed shyness and closedness will further intensify the stuttering.

To help a child cope with the illness that has arisen, parents and other family members must follow simple rules:

• monitor your speech: speak slowly and smoothly, take a short pause after each phrase; the child will try to imitate and speak the same way;
• do not interrupt the baby, always give him the opportunity to finish the speech himself;
• you can learn songs with your child;
• use when talking to a child short phrases and suggestions;
• avoid fuss and chaos in the family lifestyle; avoid quarrels and tension in the family;
• strictly monitor the child’s compliance with the daily routine, eliminate the possibility of overwork and overexcitement of the baby;
• The child should not be forced to repeat difficult words many times;
• The baby should make comments less often and praise more often;
• do not allow constant “background” operation of the TV in the apartment; exclude your child from watching television before bedtime;
• not to give the child any privileges in behavior and discipline in the family due to his stuttering.

In some cases, stuttering goes away on its own without treatment. Stuttering, which can go away on its own, has the following symptoms:

• the child does not develop any psychological difficulties during communication, he is not ashamed of his defect;
• stuttering periodically disappears for a long period of time;
• the child does not withdraw and does not avoid conversational communication;
• short words and phrases are pronounced easily.

If the child tenses during a conversation, grimaces, pauses in speech with interruptions in breathing, stretches out vowel sounds, avoids using certain words and sounds, and answers questions (even obvious ones) with “I don’t know!” - You need to consult a speech therapist. Moreover, you should find a specialist who already has experience working with such children.

Treatment for stuttering

Classes with a speech therapist will help you get rid of stuttering.

Stuttering can be treated and completely cured. You should contact a speech therapist and a neurologist or psychoneurologist for qualified help. True, there is no pill that will make stuttering disappear once and for all. The joint efforts of both specialists and patient parents are important.

Treatment is most successful in the early stages, even before school age. The rules of behavior for parents are set out above. It is important to create a favorable, calm environment in the family. All conversations with the child should be conducted at a slow pace. Relationships with all children should be built in such a way that they do not develop feelings of jealousy and competition for parental attention.

The child must be sure that he will be listened to carefully, despite the speech impediment. We must find time to communicate with him and joint activities, interesting for a child. Even a 10-minute conversation before bed has a relaxing effect. Of course, during this conversation you should not make any claims to the child or set any conditions. You just need to avoid watching TV (even cartoons) before going to bed.

The topic of stuttering should not be avoided in conversations with your child. It is important to praise him if he manages to achieve some success in treatment. Even minor ones. He should feel emotional support from his parents. You should encourage the child and instill in him confidence in the success of treatment for this temporary disease.

There are quite a lot stuttering treatment methods:

• speech therapy lessons;
• breathing exercises;
• computer programs;
• acupressure;
• hypnosis treatment;
• drug treatment;
• restorative treatment.

On speech therapy lessons Exercises are selected to relieve tension and make speech smooth and rhythmic. The child repeats the exercises at home, achieving expressive speech. Exercises are selected taking into account the patient's age.

Breathing exercises are one of the traditional methods of treatment. They allow you to train the muscles of the speech apparatus and vocal cords, teach you to breathe deeply, freely and rhythmically. Exercise has a beneficial effect on the respiratory system as a whole. In addition, exercise is an additional method of relaxation.

Computer programs – one of the effective methods of treating stuttering. They use the synchronization of the speech and auditory centers of the brain. A child at home, sitting in front of a computer, pronounces words into a microphone. Delaying them slightly with the help of the program allows the child to hear his own voice, and he tries to adapt to it.

At the same time, speech becomes smoother. The program allows you to conduct a conversation in situations with emotional overtones (joy, anger, etc.) and suggests how to cope with the circumstances and improve your speech.

There are clinics and centers for stuttering treatment in many cities. by hypnosis for children over 11 years old. Using the method of suggestion, the doctor relieves spasms of the speech muscles and the feeling of fear of public speaking. After 3-4 sessions, speech becomes smooth and confident. This is an emotionally impactful method of psychotherapy.

Alternative medicine offers treatment for stuttering point method massage. The specialist influences certain points on the face, back, legs, chest. Using this method, the regulation of speech by the nervous system is improved. Acupressure is recommended to be done constantly.

Drug treatment – an auxiliary method in the treatment of stuttering. It is carried out as prescribed by a neurologist. Anticonvulsants may be used. Treatment helps normalize the function of nerve centers. Decoctions and infusions of herbs (motherwort, valerian root, lemon balm) are used as sedatives. It is impossible to cure stuttering with medication alone.

General strengthening methods contribute to the treatment of stuttering. They include adherence to a daily routine, balanced nutrition, hardening and a general protective regime that excludes stressful situations. Of particular importance for a child is sufficient sleep (at least 9 hours). To ensure deep sleep, you can take a warm shower or a relaxing bath (for example, a pine bath) in the evening. Computer games and watching TV programs in the evening should be excluded.

Definitely, stuttering, which develops in children by the age of three and older, is a problem that is familiar and affected by many parents. And in fact, for the kids themselves, as they grow older, stuttering begins to bring a huge number of unpleasant moments. As a rule, in such cases, both the child’s education and socialization begin to suffer, the child’s self-esteem often decreases, moreover, in particularly severe advanced cases, it is quite possible to develop a strong inferiority complex, which, unfortunately, can remain with the child throughout his entire adult life.

In fact, this is why in no case is it recommended to let problems of this kind take their course and leave them without parental and medical attention. To our great regret, most parents do not even consider the main reasons for the development of stuttering in their children to be necessary and are trying to find, not to mention the beginning of full-fledged treatment. And all because many parents mistakenly believe that over time all this will pass on its own. However, in fairness, of course, it should be noted that scientists from all over the world have still not been able to identify any exact and 100% correct reasons for the development of stuttering, and even those speech therapists who have devoted their life of this science.

The need to see a speech therapist

Undoubtedly, the treatment of stuttering, like the treatment of other diseases in children, should be extremely comprehensive and, of course, only a qualified speech therapist can prescribe such therapy. Moreover, the sooner such treatment is started, the more successful it will ultimately be. Therefore, just try to notice the development of the problem as early as possible and, of course, seek qualified help from a speech therapist early. Any kind of delay in such cases can only play against your child.

Note that, as a rule, the last of modern techniques Most stuttering treatments can relieve a small child of even the most severe and protracted stuttering. However, it should also be understood that the success of the treatment outcome will largely depend on the correct behavior of the parents themselves. Since the parents themselves will also have to strictly observe a number of specific rules and urgent recommendations from a speech therapist or other specialized specialists who may also have to be encountered.

By the way, speaking of speech therapists, in order to successfully cure stuttering in their children, parents will definitely have to communicate and interact as closely as possible with such a doctor for quite a long time. This is why the correct selection of a specialist turns out to be an incredibly important point in this case. Indeed, in the case when the parents do not find a common language with the doctor and cannot completely trust such a doctor, there can hardly be any talk about the success of the treatment, no matter how highly qualified the specialist may actually be.

The correct daily routine for a child

It should be noted that in most cases, a child who stutters is extremely active and incredibly quickly excitable. This is why parents will definitely have to be able to properly organize a strict daily routine for such a child. You will also have to constantly monitor strict adherence to the selected regime. And now closer to the regime itself.

• Of course, parents should pay special attention to their child’s sleep. As a rule, a child under the age of seven should sleep no less than eleven hours at night. At the same time, daytime sleep is vital for such a child - and during the lunchtime, the baby’s sleep duration should be no less than two hours. It should be understood that a child’s daytime sleep can have the most positive effect on the state of the baby’s entire nervous system.

• Everyday baby games

  Well, of course, in modern families Cartoons are the most popular and favorite pastime for children. However, as parents, you should always ensure that your young child does not spend too much time in front of the TV screen - as this leads to excessive nervous excitability. And as a result, existing stuttering can only become much more severe. We should not forget that today there are an incredible number of correct and incredibly useful educational games for children of a particular age.

• The need for outdoor exercise

  Parents must understand that in no case, and even under no circumstances, is it acceptable to ignore the child’s daily walks - after all, for child's body Walking in the fresh air is simply vital. Try to walk with your child for at least two hours a day - well, of course, only when real weather conditions allow you to do so. Agree, a light rain is not at all a hindrance to a walk, but a storm warning from weather forecasters is a very real reason to stay at home.

Controlling a child's speech

As you understand, in special speech therapy classes, full control over the correctness of the child’s speech is carried out by the doctor. However, the doctor himself does not have the opportunity to be in close proximity to your child around the clock, in fact, therefore literally the rest of the time you, as parents, will need to constantly monitor the correctness of the child’s speech. If, for example, you were able to notice that your child is again pronouncing a word, or an entire phrase, stuttering, you should not immediately make comments to the child and, of course, you should not laugh at him. To begin with, simply finish the spoken word instead of the child or together with the baby, without focusing your attention on the problem at all.

Let us note that in particularly severe cases of advanced stuttering in children, quite often experienced speech therapists strongly recommend using the so-called complete silence mode in families. With this regime, the child is allowed to talk only directly during classes, naturally under the 100% control of a speech therapist. But the rest of the time in the family or on walks, the baby should try to remain silent for as long as possible. Naturally, a child, of course, can talk, but only in cases of extreme necessity and, of course, only in a whisper.

Such demands from speech therapists can be explained incredibly simply - with the direct help of silence, it is often possible to completely suppress the stuttering reflex in children. Look, during periodic speech therapy sessions, the correctness of the child’s speech is monitored, and the speech becomes correct - correct and without the slightest hesitation. And the rest of the time the baby is silent, which means that directly on a subconscious level the baby will develop a conditioned reflex aimed exclusively at correct speech. Unfortunately, such treatment, as a rule, can last quite a long time, ranging from several months to up to one year.

Definitely, it is extremely difficult to explain such a need to a child aged 3-4 years. However, to obtain the desired result, parents may have to show truly remarkable imagination, and that’s all, because the success of the entire treatment will largely depend on the fulfillment of the doctor’s requirements. Remember, if you, as parents, simply and unreasonably forbid your child to talk, this can have an extremely negative impact on his psyche in the future. Clearly, such silence should be turned into some kind of exciting game with bonuses and gifts for long-term silence.

Correct behavior of parents

And, of course, parents should also know how to behave with a child being treated for stuttering. As previously mentioned, in order to eliminate the development of stuttering in a child, parents must also follow a strictly defined number of important and useful rules.

Namely:

• Discussing stuttering problems with a child

  Remember - in no case should parents discuss, with anyone, the child’s existing stuttering problem in front of the child himself - not with their friends, not with his friends, not with relatives or close people, in general, not with whom. You definitely shouldn’t think that your child, who is 3 or 4 years old, is not yet able to understand anything. Remember - the baby hears and fully understands much more than we, adults, are already accustomed to thinking. Moreover, such children are incredibly sensitive to a detailed discussion of some of their own shortcomings, accepting them as not their mother’s love.

• Personal examples from adults

  Try to monitor your own speech as carefully as possible, especially in the presence of your child. Your speech as parents should be as calm as possible, completely unhurried, preferably expressive and, of course, correct. Remember, it is your correctly delivered speech that is incredibly important for proper development your child's speech.

• Positive psychological environment at home

  You probably understand that you can try as much as you like to cure stuttering, using the most modern new techniques and expensive drugs, but you will never completely cure it, including in an unpleasant case if in a family, the baby will be surrounded by a certain unfavorable, painful, nervous atmosphere. Regardless of the age of one year, two years, three, or five years - believe me, at any age the baby should live exclusively in an atmosphere of complete consent and love of the parents. Try, of course, to reduce all kinds of family conflicts or disagreements to an absolute minimum. Or, at least, try not to sort things out in the presence of your child. Otherwise, a disease such as stuttering may not go away, or even begin in an absolutely healthy child.

• Some limitation of the baby’s social circle

  It should be said that most speech therapists categorically insist that during the treatment of a stuttering problem, do not take the child to guests and not even receive large quantity guests (people unfamiliar to the child) at home. And here everything is logical. Well, firstly, the child will probably become ashamed of his own stuttering or his own inferiority. And secondly, as a rule, for a child aged 3-5 years, the unexpected arrival of a large number of guests is more than serious stress, even if it is positive. Actually, this is precisely why you have no need to once again subject your own toddler’s nervous system to such psychological stress.

And you should also try to avoid even walks in the noisiest playgrounds. Ideally, it is desirable for such a child to communicate and walk with one or maximum two relatively calm children - perhaps peers or a few younger age. Believe me, such communication can benefit your child.

And lastly, stuttering in a child aged 3 or 5 years is an extremely annoying and unpleasant phenomenon. Nevertheless, parents definitely should not despair and worry too much - after all, it is more than possible to cure stuttering, again with the help of a qualified speech therapist. Although, definitely, parents will still have to make some efforts, and not so little. And patience for such parents will be more useful than ever - since such treatment, as a rule, can take a fairly long period of time. However, remember that in the end you have every chance of raising a child without this problem!

– a disorder of the tempo-rhythmic aspect of speech, caused by repeated convulsions in the articulatory, vocal or respiratory parts of the speech apparatus. Stuttering in children is characterized by “getting stuck” on individual sounds, their repeated, involuntary repetition, accompanying movements, speech tricks, logophobia, and vegetative reactions. Children with stuttering should be examined by a neurologist, speech therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. Correction of stuttering in children includes a medical and health complex (compliance with the regime, massage, hydrotherapy, exercise therapy, physical therapy, psychotherapy) and a system of speech therapy classes.

General information

Stuttering in children is unintentional stops and hesitations in oral speech that arise as a result of a convulsive state of the speech muscles. According to scientific data, about 2% of children and 1.5% of adults suffer from stuttering. Stuttering occurs 3-4 times more often in boys than in girls. In addition to speech convulsions, stuttering in children is accompanied by a disorder of higher nervous activity, which in some cases may be associated with a neurotic reaction, in others with organic damage to the central nervous system. Therefore, it would be wrong to consider stuttering in a child as a purely speech problem; the study and correction of stuttering in children is impossible without the integration of knowledge from the fields of speech therapy, neurology, and psychology.

Classification of stuttering in children

Depending on the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying convulsive stuttering, there are 2 forms of stuttering in children: neurotic (logoneurosis) and neurosis-like. Neurotic stuttering in children is a functional disorder; neurosis-like is associated with organic damage to the nervous system.

Based on the severity of speech convulsions, there are mild, moderate and severe degrees of stuttering in children. Mild degree stuttering in children is characterized by convulsive hesitations only in spontaneous speech; the symptoms are subtle and do not interfere with verbal communication. With moderate severity, hesitations occur in monologue and dialogic speech. With severe stuttering in children, speech spasms are frequent and prolonged; hesitations occur in all types of speech, including conjugate and reflected; accompanying movements and embolophrasia appear. In the most extreme cases, stuttering can make speech and communication nearly impossible. The severity of stuttering may vary for the same child in different situations.

Depending on the nature of the course, the following variants of stuttering in children are distinguished:

• wavy (stuttering increases and decreases in different situations, but does not disappear);
• constant (stuttering has a relatively stable course)
• recurrent (stuttering occurs again after a period of speech well-being).

Causes of stuttering in children

All factors contributing to the occurrence of stuttering in children are traditionally divided into predisposing and producing. Predisposing (background) causes include hereditary predisposition, the neuropathic constitution of a stuttering child, and intrauterine damage to the central nervous system. Hereditary predisposition to stuttering in children is most often determined by congenital weakness of the speech apparatus. Children who stutter often exhibit enuresis, night terrors, increased anxiety and vulnerability. Perinatal brain damage in children may be associated with toxicosis of pregnancy, hemolytic disease of the fetus, intrauterine hypoxia and asphyxia during childbirth, birth injuries, etc. Children who are physically weakened, with an underdeveloped sense of rhythm, general motor skills, and facial expressions are more susceptible to the development of stuttering and articulation.

The increase in the incidence of stuttering observed in recent years is directly related to the rapid introduction into daily life video games, various computer technologies that unleash a huge stream of audiovisual information on the fragile nervous system of children. It should be remembered that the processes of maturation of the cerebral cortex and the formation of functional asymmetry in brain activity are generally completed by the age of 5, therefore exposure to any stimulus that is excessive in strength or duration can lead to a nervous breakdown and stuttering in children.

Such extreme irritants (or producing causes) of stuttering in children can be severe infections (meningitis, encephalitis, measles, whooping cough, typhus, etc.), head injury, malnutrition, rickets, intoxication, etc. The immediate causes of stuttering in children also include immediate mental shocks or long-term mental trauma. In the first case, it may be short-term fear, fright, excessive joy; in the second - protracted conflicts, authoritarian parenting style, etc. Imitation of stutterers and early education can lead to stuttering in children foreign languages, overload with complex speech material, relearning left-handedness. The literature indicates a connection between stuttering in children and left-handedness and other speech disorders (dyslalia, tachylalia, dysarthria, rhinolalia). Secondary stuttering in children can occur against the background of motor alalia or aphasia.

Comparative characteristics of neurotic and neurosis-like stuttering in children

Neurotic stuttering in children is based on strong traumatic experiences, so speech impairment occurs acutely, almost instantly. In this case, parents, as a rule, accurately indicate the time of the onset of stuttering in the child and its cause. Neurotic stuttering usually occurs between 2 and 6 years of age, i.e., at the time of development of the disorder, children have extensive phrasal speech.

Children with neurotic stuttering experience a decrease in speech activity, pronounced logophobia and fixation on difficult sounds; respiratory-vocal convulsions predominate. Sound pronunciation, as a rule, is impaired, but the lexical and grammatical side develops normally (FFN occurs). Children often accompany their speech by flaring the wings of the nose and accompanying movements. The nature of the course of neurotic stuttering in children is wavy; Speech deterioration is provoked by traumatic situations.

In the case of neurosis-like stuttering that occurs against the background of organic damage to the central nervous system in the perinatal or early period development of the child, the disorder develops gradually, gradually. There is no obvious connection with external circumstances; Parents find it difficult to determine the cause of stuttering in children. Neurosis-like stuttering in children appears from the moment speech begins or at the age of 3-4 years, i.e. during the period of formation of phrasal speech.

The speech activity of children is usually increased, but they are not critical of their defect. Speech hesitations are caused primarily by articulatory spasms; speech is monotonous, inexpressive, the pace is accelerated; sound pronunciation is distorted, the lexico-grammatical aspect of speech is disrupted (OHP occurs). Children with neurosis-like stuttering have impaired general motor skills: their movements are clumsy, constrained, and stereotyped. Characterized by sluggish facial expressions, bad handwriting; Dysgraphia, dyslexia and dyscalculia often occur. The course of neurosis-like stuttering in children is relatively constant; Speech deterioration can be caused by fatigue, increased speech load, and somatic weakness. A neurological examination reveals multiple signs of central nervous system damage; according to EEG data - increased convulsive readiness.

Symptoms of stuttering in children

The main symptoms of stuttering in children include speech convulsions, disorders of physiological and speech breathing, accompanying movements, speech tricks and logophobia.

When stuttering, children experience hesitation when trying to start speaking or directly in the process of speaking. They are caused by spasms (involuntary contraction) of the speech muscles. Speech spasms can be tonic or clonic in nature. Tonic speech spasms are associated with a sharp increase in muscle tone in the lips, tongue, cheeks, which is accompanied by the impossibility of articulation and a pause in speech (for example, “t---rava”). Clonic speech spasms are characterized by repeated contractions of the speech muscles, resulting in the repetition of individual sounds or syllables (for example, “t-t-grass”). Children who stutter may have tono-clonic or clono-tonic seizures. According to the place of occurrence, speech convulsions can be articulatory, vocal (phonational), respiratory and mixed.

Breathing during stuttering is irregular, shallow, thoracic or clavicular; Discoordination of breathing and articulation is noted: children begin to speak while inhaling or after a full exhalation.

The speech of children with stuttering is often accompanied by involuntary accompanying movements: twitching of the facial muscles, flaring of the wings of the nose, blinking, swaying of the body, etc. Quite often, people who stutter use so-called motor and speech tricks aimed at hiding their hesitations (smiling, yawning, coughing, etc. ). Speech tricks include embolophrasies (the use of unnecessary sounds and words - “well”, “this”, “there”, “here”), changes in intonation, tempo, rhythm, speech, voice, etc.

Difficulties in speech communication cause logophobia (fear of speech in general) or sound phobia (fear of pronouncing individual sounds) in children with stuttering. In turn, obsessive thoughts about stuttering further worsen speech problems in children.

Stuttering in children is often accompanied by various kinds of autonomic disorders: sweating, tachycardia, blood pressure lability, redness or pallor of the skin, which intensify at the time of speech convulsions.

Diagnosis of stuttering in children

Examination of children with stuttering is carried out by a speech therapist, pediatrician, child neurologist, child psychologist, child psychiatrist. For all specialists, an important role is played by the study of anamnesis, hereditary burden, information about early psycho-speech and motor development children, clarifying the circumstances and time of stuttering.

Correction of stuttering in children

Speech therapy has adopted a comprehensive approach to the correction of stuttering in children, which involves carrying out therapeutic, health-improving and psychological-pedagogical work. The main goal of the treatment and pedagogical complex is to eliminate or weaken speech spasms and related disorders; strengthening the central nervous system, influencing the personality and behavior of a stutterer.

The therapeutic and health-improving area of ​​work includes general strengthening procedures (hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, massage, exercise therapy), rational and suggestive psychotherapy.

The actual speech therapy work for stuttering in children is organized in stages. At the preparatory stage, a gentle regime and a friendly atmosphere are created, speech activity is limited, and examples of correct speech are demonstrated.

At the training stage, work is carried out to help children master various forms of speech: conjugate-reflected, whispered, rhythmic, question-and-answer, etc. It is useful to use various shapes manual labor (modeling, designing, drawing, games). At the end of this stage, classes are transferred from the speech therapist’s office to a group, class, public places, where children consolidate their free speech skills. At the final stage, the skills of correct speech and behavior in various speech situations and activities are automated.

During the work, important attention is paid to the development of the main components of speech (phonetics, vocabulary, grammar), voice delivery, and prosody. Logorhythmic exercises, speech therapy massage, breathing and articulation exercises play an important role in the correction of stuttering in children. Speech therapy classes for the correction of stuttering in children are carried out in individual and group formats.

To correct stuttering in children, many original methods have been proposed (N.A. Cheveleva, S. A. Mironova, V.I. Seliverstova, G.A. Volkova, A.V. Yastrebova, L.Z. Arutyunyan, etc.).

Forecast and prevention of stuttering in children

With proper organization of treatment and health work, stuttering completely disappears in most children. Relapses of stuttering are possible at school age and puberty. The most consistent results are observed when correcting stuttering in preschoolers. The longer the stuttering experience, the more uncertain the prognosis.

To prevent the occurrence of stuttering in children, it is important to have a favorable course of pregnancy, care for the physical and mental well-being of the child, his speech development, selection of educational and entertainment material according to age. In order to prevent relapses of stuttering in children, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations of the speech therapist at the stage correctional work and after it, creating favorable conditions for the child for harmonious development.