STAMMERING

Q: My child hesitates while talking and sometimes even repeats a word in a sentence. What should I do?

A: Just ignore his repetition and hesitation. Do not become anxious.

Q: When should I consult a speech therapist?

A: You can consult a speech therapist if you are very anxious about your child’s speech or if the child is really having difficulty in talking i.e. becomes breathless while talking, shows undue amount of tension in his speech muscles or has decreased in his speech output ( i.e. the child starts speaking less)

Q: When are hesitations and repetitions said to be normal?

A: Every child, in his speech development goes through this phase. This is because the child has a vivid imagination and wants to express many things but he is unable to do so because he does not possess the required vocabulary. So he thinks and recalls the words that he has learnt or heard. In doing so, he hesitates or repeats a word. But as his language develops, all these hesitations disappear. If however, your child continues to stammer beyond seven years of age, then treatment form a speech therapist is required.

Q: Can my child develop stammering due to imitation?

A: Yes, the child is in constant search of speakers and he develops his speech by imitating people in his environment. So, if there is a person who stammers around him, he may imitate him, but this is a transitory phase and the child can get over it, if his attention is not drawn towards it.

Q: Is stammering hereditary?

A: Yes, to a certain extent.

Q: Is stammering due to a psychological factor?

A: Yes, Stammering mainly develops due to a child’s feeling of insecurity. This insecurity could be due to many reasons such as –

1. Parental conflict.
2. Very strict parents.
3. A new sibling.
4. Jealousy.
5. Separation from dear ones.
6. New environment.
7. Fear.

Q: Will my child start speaking fluently?

A: Yes, if the psychological barriers are removed and if the child is not made conscious of his speech defect, he will overcome his hesitations.

Q: How long it will take for my child to start speaking fluently?

A: It all depends on you because if you follow the guidelines set up by the therapist the child overcomes his problems very soon. Very often, the child is not even taken for therapy because by the alterations in the parents behavior towards the child, the child starts speaking fluently.

Q: When should formal therapy begin?

A: If the child has not started speaking fluently even after the parents have been counseled then he should be taken up for play therapy.