Kids that stutter

[Jason]

I have discovered that a big fear for many people that stutter is that their kids may stutter as well. They do not want their children to be exposed to the hardships that they went through. This is a valid concern however it is one that you can quash.

First the stats on stuttering. (This is from memory so I hope its right.)

1 in 100 stutter
From 1%...
2 out of 5 grow out of it.
2 out of 5 are helped out of it through speech therapy.
1 out of 5 continues stuttering into adult life.

The above shows firstly the unlikely hood of this happening. (Though stuttering does tend to flow in families.) The second thing it shows is the importance of speech therapy at an early age. I for one didn't start therapy proper until I was about 13-14. This is too late. The success of speech therapy is far higher in children than it is in adults.

The next thing is that stuttering starts out as a single thing. It is a stutter, a problem speaking fluently. However as time builds, it evolves, things are added to it. People lose eye contact, there may be some twitch, tapping of the fingers, facial distortion. All of these are various incorrect coping mechanisms which many keep long after they have stopped working.

Many of the bad reactions stem from these mechanisms. Many people that stutter keep these bad reactions inside them and thus star to develop fears and negative feelings about themselves and stammering.

As a guy that stutters I have been down the above path. It is only recently that I have started to peel back those layers of coping mechanisms and negative thoughts. I can cast my mind back and see the way I was at different stages, with a bit more thinking I can see why I went down these routes. I am confident that if I have a kid that stutters I can successfully aid and navigate them around these pitfalls so they live a great life.

I think this is what you need to remember

In case you are wondering what I would do if I had a kid that stuttered

1) Make them know it is OK to stutter and give them the time they needed to speak.
2) Take them to a therapist at an early age.
3) Go in to their school and spend an hour talking to the class about what stuttering is. (Something that never happened with me. Idea is to stop any teasing as other children will understand it.)
4) Don't treat the kid any differently. Send them out outside to speak, let them get the phone etc.

[warrick]

Great post Jason,
the only thing I would add is that a child should not be sent to speech therapy too early. Like you said, 2 out of 5 grow out of it naturally so they need time to develop their speech naturally. Speech is a very complicated and syncronized set of motor skills which takes time to develop in children. Most kids stumble to some degree when they are first developing these skills but over time, are able to hone these skills with practise. Sending a child to therapy too early may prematurely make them conscious of their speech difficulties and bring on early the developmental stage of stuttering which is what can cement a stutter into a person through adulthood.

I personally stumbled in speech early on and was sent to speech therapy at 3 1/2 years old. My stuttering never improved and I often wonder if it may have self-corrected if left to its own devices for a little longer.

My oldest son developed a stutter from 3 until he was about 5 or 6. He is 8 now and it appears to have disappeared. In fact, often he talks that much its hard to get a word in ourselves. LOL.

I also have a set of 4 year old twins who have both developed a stammer, one of them quite bad. As a parent, I personally am simply going to make sure I give my children a low-stress comfortable environment where they can develop their speech without pressure.

Of course, each situation is different and needs to be judged on its own merits, but as a general rule, I would not seek professional help for a child until they are at least 6-8 years old. This is simply my experience, but remember, there is also no harm in seeking professional advice at any stage to determine what is best for your child.

[Jason]

I agree that the kid should be at least 6-8. I was just really trying to say that it shouldn't be left until they are 11-12. I am a firm believer that it is far easier to break a habit before it has become deep rooted in the psychy.