Encouragement For Stuttering Child

December 20th, 2009 | jones | Insomnia Cures

It’s only natural for parents to be concerned over every little bump, scrape and irregularity their child exhibits — and that’s a good instinct to have. Many problems, if caught early on, can be remedied before the child comes of age. A stuttering child is a bit of a conundrum because, on one hand, 60% of children who have stuttered for a year or less will recover without speech therapy; and yet, the longer a child stutters, the less likely he is to stop and the more likely he’ll develop some sort of social or self-esteem problems.

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

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

For more stuttering information, parents might want to contact the American Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Professional Training, which provides quality documents for parents, kids, teachers and speech pathologists to work together in alleviating speech problems. The institute can greatly improve the quality of life for a stuttering child and provides cost-effective methods of overcoming the issue. Every community has a number of inexpensive resources, but it helps to know where to find them. Contact the institute by calling 1-877-3 STUTTER (1-877-378-8883).

Rene Lacape is a seasoned insurance agent. He has been dealing with both corporate and individual accounts for several years up to the present. If you need him, you can check his website and give him a call. Act now.