Whether your child starts to stammer often when talking to someone or takes multiple pauses in between various words or characters, it can be a sign of stuttering or stammering. Also labeled as childhood-onset fluency disorder, stammering is a common problem among global children and can happen with children having their language and speech abilities in the developmental stage, despite their growing age. While it can seem like a common issue, stuttering can make a negative impact on the self-esteem of the individual, which is why many people seek the help of specialists in speech therapy for stuttering near me.

So when your child is dealing with stuttering and you would like to know if speech therapy for stuttering can help, here is a detailed blog to help.

What is Stuttering?

Stuttering or stammering is a common speech disorder that can be characterized by the repetition of sounds, syllables, or words. Interruption in speech can also be a common symptom of stuttering in children. Only the person who stutters can understand what he or she would like to say. Many people may not know, but stuttering may be also accompanied by some other issues like blinking eyes or tremors of the lips. For individuals dealing with stuttering, it can become tough to communicate with others, which makes a negative impact on the quality of life as well as interpersonal relationships. At the same time, it can also have an impact on job performance and opportunities.

It has been noticed that stuttering can also relate to some emotional issues arising out of emotional issues like anxiety. It is very common for people dealing with stuttering to have trouble communicating with others, especially in the social setting as they feel a loss of confidence. A fact about this speech disorder is that it is not common in children, but can also affect adults as well as elderly individuals dealing with certain health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, etc.

Treatment Options

To identify the best treatment option for an individual dealing with stammering or stuttering, it is important to diagnose the problem with an experienced speech-language pathologist. Based on the diagnosis, a decision can be made about the best treatment approach. There are various types of treatment options available to treat children and adults who stutter. The goal of treatment for stuttering is to help people teach skills to help

  • Improve speech fluency
  • Develop effective communication
  • Become a confident individual by participating in social activities

Some Treatment Options Available for Stuttering Include

  • Speech Therapy – 

No doubt, this is one of the top and most-useful methods available to deal with stuttering as this includes no use of medications or any surgical process, thus making it the safest option available. The process of speech therapy for stuttering is to improve your speech by slowing down the pace and identifying when you stutter. Speech therapy includes various methods and techniques, which may be used as per the specific condition of the child or adult. At the beginning of speech therapy, one may need to speak very slowly and deliberately. But the condition may improve over time and one can learn to enjoy natural speech patterns.

  • Electronic Devices – 

This is another speech therapy treatment that can help enhance the fluency of an individual. The treatment must be performed under the guidance of an expert in the field as the pace of the treatment needs to be adjusted according to the specific needs of the patient. There will be a machine that will mimic speech so that it sounds like you are talking to yourself in a mirror or in unison with someone else. It is suggested to connect with a speech-language pathologist who can help choose a suitable device for better results.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – 

This is a type of psychotherapy treatment that can be helpful to identify and change ways of thinking. It is important because stuttering is directly linked to one’s mental and cognitive ability. With the proper cognitive behavioral therapy, it becomes easier for one to resolve other issues like stress, anxiety, which may be related to stuttering. The more you get control over your mental health, the more it becomes to deal with stuttering.

Benefits of Stuttering Speech Therapy

  • With stuttering speech therapy, you will have the ability to speak clearly by pronouncing words with complex syllables like bath or shower, etc.
  • The more your child will be able to speak clearly, the less he or she will need to use gestures such as pointing, making it easier to communicate.
  • Improved listening is another benefit of speech therapy for stuttering as this can allow a child to understand what others are saying.

Wrapping Up!

So when your child is dealing with stuttering, opting for speech therapy for stuttering near me is the key to improving listening as well as speaking fluently without the support of any other individual. Make sure to get the help of a professional and experienced speech therapist who can diagnose the problem closely and then suggest a treatment plan that can help improve your child’s speaking fluency.