Why does a person start to stutter? Stuttering. Causes of stuttering in children

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For many adults, speech difficulties begin in childhood and do not leave them after occasional treatment. People often resign themselves to their situation and consider it hopeless. This opinion is absolutely unfounded; this article will help you understand why.

History and description of the disease

Speech difficulties in the form of stuttering have been described since ancient times.

Until the end of the 19th century, attempts to study the nature of stuttering were sporadic, and there were no methods of treating it.

This was due to two reasons:

stuttering has always remained a rare phenomenon that does not pose a danger to others;
Even more rare were cases of people who stutter being cured of their illness as a result of medical manipulations.

The suffering person was left alone with his problem; when communicating, he caused annoyance and sympathy at the same time. You can still encounter a disdainful attitude towards people who pronounce words with repeated hesitations.

Therefore, people who stutter try to speak less, especially in the presence of strangers, limit contacts, and deliberately narrow their social circle. In the 20th century, medical science fully recognized the need and relevance of specialized care for people who stutter.

Medicine considers stuttering a disease that has speech manifestations and neuropsychiatric origin.

Modern methods of stuttering correction in adult patients take into account their individual characteristics, include a detailed examination of the body and have positive dynamics as a result of the treatment undertaken.

External symptoms, features of manifestation and diagnosis of stuttering

Speech therapists are well aware that to effectively help patients with difficulties in speech communication, the participation of many specialists is required - neurologists and psychologists, first of all.

What symptoms are considered the main ones for making a diagnosis of stuttering?

The diagnosis is made in an adult patient in cases of pronounced deviation of speech from normal rhythm and articulation.

Difficulties are aggravated by involuntary grimaces and repetitive movements of the facial muscles - tics.

There are two forms of violations in the pronunciation of words, due to the type of spasms of the respiratory, articulatory and vocal muscles:

tonic - with stretching of vowels and sonorant sounds, with unnatural pauses between words, with a break in the pronunciation of sounds within a syllable,
clonic - with multiple repetition of the same consonant sounds, syllables or short words.

There is a mixed, tonic-clonic form, combining the listed symptoms. In all forms of stuttering, an intermittent, spastic nature of speech is expressed.

Sounds are blocked in the throat, and it seems that the person is making a significant effort to “push them out.”

Intermittent speech can be a pronunciation feature in people who do not stutter. The doctor pays attention to the comparative frequency and duration of interruption of the smooth flow of speech flow:

There is a method for calculating the number of breaks per 100 words. Normally this figure is 7%. Then slow speech is not defined as unnatural. A person who stutters is interrupted in 10% of a hundred words or more.
The duration of breaks in pronunciation in a “problem” patient is clearly expressed, ranging from one to 30 seconds and is accompanied by noticeable muscle tension.

Stuttering, which arose in adulthood, is a feature of the patient’s external speech. Research has established that a person’s inner speech remains absolutely free, even in cases of maximum manifestations of the defect.

This fact is considered an important argument in favor of the possibility of curing adult patients from stuttering.

Men are much more predisposed to speech defects than women. Medical statistics show that for every five men who stutter, there are only two women. The structural features of the female brain provide a natural defense against speech illness.

Causes of stuttering in adults

It is customary to distinguish between neurotic stuttering (logoneurosis) and organic, or neurosis-like.

In a conversation with the patient, the doctor finds out whether the symptoms are constant or their manifestation depends on the circumstances of the speech act. The patient is prescribed a brain study in the form of an electroencephalogram.

If an encephalographic examination reveals the presence of abnormalities in the functioning of the brain structures responsible for speech functions, then stuttering is classified as organic.

It is characterized by constant symptoms that occur even in a calm and familiar environment for the patient:

In adult patients, organic stuttering occurs as a complication after suffering other diseases with damage to the motor sphere.
in the brain can mechanically interfere with the passage of nerve impulses and cause speech disorders.

Logoneuroses in adults are caused by stressful situations and deep nervous shocks. In these cases, stuttering is not fixed physiologically and largely depends on the level of emotional stress of the person.

Neurotic stuttering intensifies when it is necessary to speak in an unusual environment or in front of several people. There are known cases of temporary stuttering, which appears immediately after strong fear, affect, anger and goes away after some time, along with a decrease in the tension of the situation. To effectively help a person, a hot drink or a small dose of alcohol is enough.

Timely qualified assistance for stress logoneurosis is especially important. Otherwise, a pathological stereotype is formed, stuttering becomes chronic, and convulsive syndromes and twitching are added to external speech problems. Psychological discomfort increases, communication with other people becomes tiresome to the point of exhaustion.

The largest group is of people who stutter from an early age. The primary causes of disorders may be organic or neurotic, but the main feature of patients in this group is that the disease has an ingrained, stable nature.

The picture is complicated by hereditary predisposition and already formed speech habits. Courses of treatment for such patients can last several years.

In the video, the doctor explains what is the real cause and what is the trigger for stuttering:

Treatment methods for stuttering in adults

Researchers of stuttering are unanimous in their opinion that to successfully overcome the problem, an integrated approach is required that takes into account the biological, psychological and social aspects of the phenomenon.

Methods for correcting stuttering in adults include medications, speech therapy and psychotherapeutic measures.

Drug treatment method

This method is aimed at relieving convulsive syndromes and stabilizing nervous reactions with the help of various medications:

Anticonvulsant, antispasmodic drugs for oral administration: Magnerot, Mydocalm, Finlepsin. Milgamma, a complex of B vitamins, is used as an additional remedy.
Sedatives that reduce nervous tension: glycine, grandaxin, afobazole. Good results are observed when taking complex herbal preparations Novopassit and Dormiplant in the form of tablets or infusions of medicinal herbs - valerian, motherwort, lemon balm.

Speech therapy techniques for treating stuttering in adult patients

Focused on changing stereotypical speech habits.

Stuttering correction methods can be divided into three groups:

the formation of a new, correct speech technique in a person, including breathing patterns, voice control, and natural articulation;
mastering developed skills on complex material - during reading and free storytelling;
automation of skills when modeling various speech situations, development of emotional stability to possible difficulties when talking with other people.

This scheme is quite conventional, since speech therapy techniques are constantly being improved and applied taking into account the individual characteristics of patients, individually or in groups. How to cure stuttering in adults is decided by the attending physician, taking into account all the conditions and the general health of the patient.

A known method for treating stuttering L. Z. Harutyunyan, aimed not at the correction of individual speech disorders, but at the formation of a completely new speech-motor skill.

Psychotherapeutic methods of overcoming stuttering

They include rational and suggestive therapy, in addition, patients are trained in auto-training:

Rational methods are implemented in the form of conversations between a doctor and patients, with the aim of forming an adequate, constructive attitude of the patient towards solving his problem.
The suggestive technique consists of the patient undergoing one or several sessions of hypnosis. During suggestion, the doctor pays attention to the emotional sphere of the patient and the state of his breathing, articulation and vocal apparatus.
Mastering auto-training techniques allows people who stutter to help themselves independently. These skills remain with them for life and reinforce the results of treatment.

Physiotherapy exercises successfully complement special treatment courses. Simple exercises not only help strengthen speech muscles, but also have a beneficial effect on the general condition of the nervous system of people suffering from stuttering.

Breathing exercises by Strelnikova, classes in the yoga system under the guidance of an experienced instructor will give the patient a basis on which he can further base independent training.

There is evidence of the positive effects of acupuncture and acupuncture on speech problems.

If a person suffering from stuttering decides to resort to an unconventional treatment method, then he should choose a specialist with a good reputation, worthy of trust, and who has all the necessary documents to conduct such activities.

There are also questionable treatment methods, such as prayer for stuttering. They are rarely used in medical practice, since it has not been scientifically proven that with their help you can get rid of stuttering.

How long should stuttering be treated and how much does treatment cost?

Promises to get rid of stuttering forever in one hypnosis session should not mislead modern people.

Instant healing may be an illusion that will quickly disappear at the first stress. The mindset for long-term treatment with competent specialists is the best position for overcoming a difficult speech problem.

Specific dates will be determined by doctors, depending on the patient’s condition. If the treatment includes a basic course in a hospital, then it lasts about 30 days and can be extended on an outpatient basis for another 3-6 months or a year. There are often situations when it is advisable to repeat courses annually for several years.

Positive changes in the condition of patients inspire them and make treatment desirable and even more fruitful. The question of the price of procedures is relevant, but various possibilities for taking courses and combinations of procedures allow you to choose the best option.

The patient should remember that getting rid of stuttering with a high degree of guarantee against relapse is the work of highly professional specialists in various fields of medicine.

Average prices for treatment are:

in the Central Committee of Culture in Moscow - from 60 to 100 thousand rubles,
at the Central Red Cross Center in Kyiv - 50 thousand rubles,
at the Hadassah clinic in Israel - 55-60 thousand dollars,
in the Nadezhda MC in Minsk – 45-50 thousand rubles. (RUR),
at the Center for Healthy Speech in Yekaterinburg – 100 thousand rubles.

The link will help you understand what a vegetative crisis is and why it occurs.

How to prevent the development of stuttering, and is complete recovery possible?

Preventive measures to protect against speech disorders include taking care of your own mental health. It is impossible to insure yourself against stress, but it is quite possible to increase mental stability.

Even isolated manifestations of uncontrolled speech disturbances during nervous tension should force a person to seek help from a doctor.

Information about reputable clinics that accept patients with stuttering is available on the Internet. Complex rehabilitation systems for adult patients, the authors of which are N. M. Asatiani and N. A. Vlasova, Yu. B. Nekrasova, V. M. Shklovsky, are used with great success.

The systems combine the efforts of doctors of different specializations - speech therapist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, neurologist.

The results of the work of specialized clinics inspire reasonable hopes for thousands of patients. We can say with confidence: a person suffering from stuttering in adulthood should and can receive effective and efficient medical help.

Doctor Snezhko R.A. talks about how to deal with stuttering and whether complete recovery is possible with the use of modern treatment methods:

Stuttering- a speech disorder characterized by frequent repetition of sounds, syllables and words or their prolongation. There is also frequent stopping and hesitation in speech, disrupting its rhythmic and smooth flow.

A synonym for stuttering is logoneurosis (obsessive fear of communication).

Statistics

Logonorosis affects children more often than adults. Moreover, the prevalence of stuttering among children varies from 0.75 to 7.5%. These numbers are greatly influenced by place and living conditions, as well as age.

It is noteworthy that boys are three to four times more likely to stutter than girls.

Also, pupils of orphanages are more susceptible to stuttering than children attending regular kindergartens and schools. In this case, early separation from parents plays a big role, so the child’s psyche is traumatized (the child gets stressed).

Whereas in rural areas, stuttering among children is much less common, which is associated with a calm environment.

Stuttering in most children goes away as they grow older, so only 1-3% of the adult population suffers from it.

It is noteworthy that the incidence of logoneurosis in siblings is 18%. That is, there is a hereditary predisposition to the disease. Mentions of stuttering have reached us since ancient times. It turns out that some Egyptian pharaohs, the Persian king Bath, the prophet Moses (judging by the description, he had a speech impediment similar to a stutter), the philosopher and orator Demosthenes, the Roman poet Virgil, Cicero and other prominent figures of ancient times, stuttered.

Stuttering is also mentioned in the writings of Hippocrates: he believed that the cause of stuttering is the accumulation of moisture in the brain. Whereas Aristotle (the founder of scientific philosophy) believed that logoneurosis occurs due to improper shaking of the articulatory apparatus.

However, the true causes of the development of logoneurosis remained unexplored until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Therefore, to treat stuttering, both folk methods (spells, ointments, wearing amulets and others) and truly barbaric methods were used: cutting the frenulum of the tongue or removing part of its muscles (the proposal of the German surgeon Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach). And such cruel methods of treatment still helped some patients.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, American and French scientists developed therapeutic exercises that helped get rid of stuttering. But it did not give immediate results, so it was not successful.

However, the greatest contribution to the study of stuttering was made by Russian scientists - psychiatrist I. A. Sikorsky (who was the first to systematize all knowledge about stuttering) and physiologist I. P. Pavlov. Thanks to their work, the reasons for the development of stuttering became clear. Also at the beginning of the twentieth century, special techniques were developed to help get rid of stuttering and other speech disorders. In addition, a new direction in medicine was founded - “Speech therapy” (the science of speech disorders). And all this is the merit of Russian scientists.

However, much still remains unknown. For example, there is no explanation for the fact that most patients with logoneurosis do not stutter when they speak by themselves, while singing or speaking in chorus.

Celebrities who have stuttered

An interesting case happened with Bruce Ulysses: he developed a stutter in high school after his parents divorced. However, while participating in theater group productions, he noticed that he stopped stuttering on stage. It was this fact that spurred him to intensive studies in the theater club and determined his further choice of profession.

Famous personalities also suffered from stuttering but overcame their illness: Winston Churchill (became a great orator and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature), King George VI, Sir Isaac Newton, Elvis Presley, Samuel L. Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Gerard Depardieu, Anthony Hopkins and others.

Anatomy and physiology of speech

The speech apparatus includes central and peripheral sections.

Central department

Frontal gyri The cerebral cortex is responsible for the work of the muscles and ligaments involved in the formation of oral speech (sounds, syllables, words) - Broca's center (motor center). During the first year of a child's life, it gradually activates.
Temporal gyri responsible for the perception of their own speech and the speech of others - Wernicke's auditory center.
Parietal lobe The cerebral cortex provides understanding of speech.
Occipital lobe The cerebral cortex (visual area) is responsible for the acquisition of written speech.
Subcortical nodes(nuclei of gray matter located under the cerebral hemispheres) are responsible for the rhythm and expressiveness of speech.
Pathways(groups of nerve fibers) connect various parts of the brain and spinal cord.
Cranial nerves depart from the brain stem (located at the inner base of the skull) and innervate the muscles of the speech apparatus, neck, heart, and respiratory organs.

On a note!

Right-handed people have a more developed left hemisphere, while left-handed people have a more developed right hemisphere.

Peripheral department

Respiratory section(serves to supply air) includes the trachea, chest along with the bronchi and lungs. Speech is formed during exhalation, so it becomes longer than inhalation in a ratio of 1:20 or 1:30.
Voice department(serves to form the voice) consists of the larynx and vocal cords.
Articulation department(forms characteristic speech sounds) consists of the tongue, lips, upper and lower jaws, hard and soft palates, teeth and their alveoli (the dental socket in which the tooth is located).

* Language– the most mobile organ of articulation. Its muscles make it possible to change shape, degree of tension and position. It is involved in the formation of all vowels and almost all consonants.

To the bottom of the oral cavity, from the middle of the lower surface of the tongue, a fold of the mucous membrane extends - the frenulum, which limits the movements of the tongue.

* Hard and soft palate, making various movements, modify the shape of the oral cavity, form slits and closures. Thus, they contribute to the formation of sounds.

The coordinated work of the peripheral and central speech apparatus forms a speech circle.

Mechanism of speech formation

In the motor speech department of the brain (Broca's center), an impulse (signal) arises, which travels through the cranial nerves to the peripheral speech departments (respiratory, vocal, articulatory).

The respiratory section is the first to move: a stream of exhaled air breaks through the closed vocal cords, so they begin to vibrate. This is how the voice is formed. Its pitch, strength and timbre depend on the frequency of vibration of the vocal cords.

The resulting sounds are converted in speech resonators: the mouth, nose and pharynx. Due to their structure, resonators can change in shape and volume, giving timbre, volume and clarity to speech sounds.

Then, according to the principle of feedback, the resulting sounds and words, with the help of hearing, as well as sensations, go from the peripheral speech organs to the associative department (Wernicke’s auditory center, parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex), where they are analyzed.

Thus, a speech circle is formed: impulses go from the center to the periphery → from the periphery to the center → from the center to the periphery - and so on around the ring.

And if an error occurs somewhere, then the central speech departments are informed at what position in the peripheral speech organ the error occurred. A signal is then sent from the central region to the peripheral speech organs, which accurately produces the correct pronunciation. This mechanism operates until the work of the speech organs and auditory control are coordinated (speech synchronization occurs).

Mechanism of development of stuttering

A complex and not fully established process.

It is believed that under the influence of causes or provoking factors, Broca's center is overexcited, and its tone increases. Therefore, the speed of his work increases, and the speech circle opens.

Next, overexcitation is transferred to areas of the cerebral cortex that are located nearby and are responsible for motor activity. This leads to muscle spasms occurring in the peripheral part of speech (tongue, lips, soft palate and others). Then Broca's center relaxes again, closing the speech circle.

That is, a person begins to stutter due to a sudden disruption of the coordinated functioning of the speech organs when pronouncing sounds, which is caused by a spasm that occurs in one of the parts of the speech apparatus (tongue, palate, and others).

It is noteworthy that both muscle spasms involved in the formation of sounds and breathing muscles can occur. As a result, not only stuttering develops, but also breathing is impaired (a feeling of lack of air appears).

Stuttering mainly occurs on consonants, and less frequently on vowels. Moreover, hesitations most often occur at the beginning or middle of speech.

New theory in the development of stuttering

Professor Gerald Maguire from the University of California conducted research and found that people who stutter have increased levels of dopamine (a neurotransmitter that controls brain function). And if this theory is confirmed, then perhaps drugs that lower dopamine levels will soon appear. That is, you take a pill and you can go on stage to speak.

Causes of stuttering

Remains a subject of debate. But the opinions of scientists agree that a combination of several factors plays a role in the occurrence of stuttering: heredity, the state of the nervous system, features of speech development, and so on.

However, even the presence of reasons does not always lead to the development of stuttering; they are only triggers. Whether stuttering will develop depends on the initial state of the central nervous system and the tone of Broca's motor speech center.

Stuttering in children

Most common. In general, the peak onset of the disease occurs in preschool age. The fact is that a child is born with underdeveloped cerebral hemispheres and cerebral cortex. Only by the age of five are they fully formed.

Also, in young children, excitation processes predominate over inhibition processes. Therefore, excitation is easily transferred from sensory fibers to motor fibers. As a result, reactions in the form of a “short circuit” sometimes develop.

In addition, the movements of the organs of articulation (tongue, lips and others) in babies are weak and insufficiently elastic, and their work is poorly coordinated.

Hearing plays a leading role in the formation of speech, beginning to function from the first hours of a newborn’s life. However, children do not realize the difference between the sounds, syllables and words of those around them. Therefore, they understand speech poorly, mixing one sound with another.

In addition, between the ages of 2 and 4 years, the child develops intensively and actively develops sound pronunciation and speech in general. However, at this age the speech function is not yet sufficiently formed. Therefore, the load on the nervous system increases, and its functioning may fail.

It is these factors that explain the instability of the child’s speech and the high probability of developing speech disorders.

Risk factors for stuttering in children

They only create the preconditions for the formation of stuttering.

Emotionally labile nervous system

Babies are whiny, they have increased irritability, restless sleep and poor appetite, they are attached to their mother.

A sharp change in environment can provoke the development of stuttering in children: starting to attend kindergarten, moving, a long absence from their mother, and so on.

Earlier start of speech

At one year old, children have a large vocabulary (normally, a baby pronounces only 3-5 words correctly). Subsequently, such children quickly increase their vocabulary: at 1.5-1.8 they already speak in expanded phrases or whole sentences.

In this case, the baby loses his breath while pronouncing a long phrase. After all, he wants to tell everything at once. However, his tongue and lungs cannot yet cope with such a volume of speech.

Late onset of speech

These children appear to have their first correctly pronounced words only by the age of two, and detailed phrases - no earlier than three years. Stuttering is caused by motor disinhibition of the nervous system. Therefore, babies often speak slurredly and pronounce sounds poorly.

One of the family members stutters

The child imitates his parents, brothers or sisters.

Insufficient emotional contact of the child with others

Children do not receive enough affection and warmth. Adults do not listen to the baby, being busy with their own affairs. As a result, the baby feels unnecessary, so he may start to stutter so that his family will pay attention to him.

Overly strict attitude of adults towards children

Dads often “sin” with this. Life is strictly on schedule: getting up, going to sleep, the barracks system of punishment, and so on. As a result, the baby grows up fearful and repressed, and is also afraid to make an independent decision so as not to anger a strict parent.

Features of speech development

At the age of 2 to 6 years, children often repeat or stretch out words and syllables, and sometimes insert extra sounds that carry neither semantic nor emotional meaning (“well,” “a,” “here,” and so on) As a result, this habit is consolidated, creating the preconditions for the development of stuttering.

Physical condition of the child

Frequent colds, the development of allergic reactions, and the presence of congenital pathologies push the baby to the realization that he is “not like everyone else.” Because there are often restrictions. After all, my mother constantly tells me: “Don’t eat orange/chocolate, because the rash will appear again,” “You can’t play in the yard, you’ll catch a cold,” and so on. As a result, the child withdraws into himself.

In addition, frequent visits to medical institutions lead to the development of “fear of the white coat.”

Mastering two or more languages simultaneously

Especially if the parents speak different languages at home. In this case, the coordinated work of speech motor centers is disrupted. Because the baby is not yet fluent in his native language.

Excessive demands on the child

Sometimes parents want to demonstrate the extraordinary abilities of their child to all their acquaintances and friends. Therefore, they are forced to memorize complex poems and recite them at a birthday party or other family celebration. Whereas in the baby, the corresponding areas of the brain have not yet matured, and the muscles of the articulatory apparatus are not ready for such a load.

Gender

Boys are more likely to develop stuttering than girls. Since girls develop motor functions in a shorter time: they begin to walk and talk earlier, and their motor skills (movement) of their fingers are better developed. Apparently, this is why girls’ nervous systems are more resistant to various factors that provoke the development of stuttering.

Left-handedness

The harmonious interaction between the symmetrical structures of the brain of the right and left hemispheres is weakened. Therefore, the child’s nervous system becomes more vulnerable, which is reflected in the development of speech. Moreover, the risk of developing stuttering increases if they tried to retrain a left-handed child to use his right hand using crude methods.

Probably, the weakness of some brain structures that are involved in the formation of speech is inherited.

Causes of stuttering in children

There are several groups, but the reasons can often be combined.

Condition of the central nervous system

Children who have suffered diseases that affect the nervous system are prone to developing stuttering: intrauterine hypoxia, trauma during childbirth, traumatic brain injury, infectious processes (caused by viruses, protozoa, bacteria, fungi) and other pathologies.

After illnesses, there are residual effects that lead to structural changes in the brain (organic damage). As a result, insufficiency of the motor parts of the brain (for example, Broca's center) develops to varying degrees of severity. Therefore, the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles from the central parts of speech is disrupted. While smooth speech requires coordinated work and maturity of the central nervous system.

Such children are emotionally labile, impressionable, they have an increased level of anxiety, they do not adapt well to new conditions (for example, starting to attend kindergarten), they are timid, worried, and so on.

Past mental trauma

Under the influence of stress, the coordinated redistribution of muscle tone involved in speech production is disrupted. That is, the muscles contract and relax inconsistently. Therefore, convulsive repetitions of sounds, syllables and words occur.

Moreover, stress can be chronic or acute (fright, constant fear, death of a loved one, family troubles, etc.), and the strength of its impact does not matter.

Stuttering in adults

It occurs infrequently - and, as a rule, begins in childhood. However, logoneurosis often appears in adults, causing the development of considerable problems: they withdraw into themselves, become timid and indecisive, avoid communicating with people, are afraid of public speaking, and so on.

Risk factors for stuttering in adults

Male

Men are more likely to develop stuttering than women. Professor I.P. Sikorsky explains this by the fact that in women the left hemisphere, in which Broca’s motor center is located, is much better developed than in men.

Hereditary predisposition

There is a congenital weakness of the central parts of speech, therefore, when exposed to unfavorable factors (for example, stress), their work is disrupted.

Causes of stuttering in adults

Stressful situations

The severe loss of a loved one, a traffic accident that happened before our eyes, military operations, an earthquake, disasters, and so on.

Under the influence of stress, the coordination of the muscles responsible for producing sound is disrupted: they contract and relax inconsistently. As a result, muscle cramps develop. That is, there is a relationship with the emotional state of a person.

Diseases of the central nervous system

Traumatic brain injuries, previous neuroinfections (viral, bacterial, fungal, affecting the nervous system), encephalitis, meningitis and others. Because the transmission of nerve impulses from the brain along the nerve pathways to the muscles responsible for speech formation is disrupted.

In adults, a major role in the occurrence of stuttering is played by previous strokes or the presence of brain tumors (benign, malignant), if the central parts of speech are affected. Because there is a mechanical obstacle to the transmission of nerve impulses.

Moreover, in these cases there is no relationship between stuttering and emotional stress. That is, a person stutters at rest, alone with himself, when singing and talking in chorus.

Types of stuttering

They are divided according to the form of seizures, clinical manifestations and course of the disease.

Types of stuttering according to the form of seizures

Clonic stuttering- when several short-term convulsions following each other lead to involuntary repetition of individual syllables and sounds.
Tonic stuttering- if the muscles contract for a long time and strongly. As a result, speech delay occurs.
Mixed form develops when both types of speech impairment are combined.

In addition, sometimes violent and involuntary movements (convulsions) of the muscles of the face and/or limbs join the spasms of the muscles of the tongue, lips and soft palate.

Types of stuttering along the way

Constant - stuttering, having arisen, is constantly present in all situations and forms of speech.
Wavy - stuttering does not disappear completely: it appears and then disappears.
Recurrent (recurrent) - a speech defect, having disappeared, appears again. Sometimes after quite long periods of speech without hesitation.

Types of stuttering according to clinical forms

There are two forms of logoneurosis: neurotic and neurosis-like. The separation is based on different causes and development mechanisms.

Neurotic form

The patients have no data on their history of intrauterine hypoxia or birth trauma.

The impetus for the development of stuttering is mental trauma (acute or chronic stress) or the early active introduction of a second language of communication (at 1.5-2.5 years). That is, the disease is functional in nature, and the brain structures are not affected. Therefore, this form of stuttering is more treatable.

Characteristics of children prone to developing a neurotic form of stuttering

Initially, such children are timid, impressionable, anxious, touchy, irritable, whiny, afraid of the dark, do not stay in the room without adults, have difficulty getting used to a new environment, and sleep poorly. Their mood also changes quickly, and more often in a downward direction.

Mental, physical and motor development in children corresponds to their age. However, the development of speech occurs somewhat earlier in them: the first words appear by 10 months of life, phrasal speech by 16-18 months. 2-3 months after the start of phrasal speech, children are already constructing complex sentences and speech structures.

The pace of speech is accelerated: children “choke”, do not finish words, miss prepositions and words. In addition, speech is sometimes slurred.

Symptoms

In children The disease occurs suddenly, usually between the ages of 2 and 6 years.

Immediately after mental trauma, which becomes the “last straw,” the child stops speaking for some time (mutism). At the same time, an expression of fear is “written” on his face. Then, when the child begins to speak again, he already stutters. The baby becomes irritable and whiny, sleeps poorly, and is afraid to talk.

When a second language is introduced, the child experiences mental stress as the load on the speech apparatus increases. While some children, due to age characteristics, have not sufficiently mastered their native language.

Stuttering in a baby intensifies when exposed to any stress, emotional tension or anxiety. That is, the course of the disease is wave-like: periods of stuttering alternate with light intervals when the child speaks without hesitation. Whereas if the baby is sick (his body temperature rises, he coughs, and so on), then his stuttering does not get worse.

The neurotic form of the disease occurs both favorably and unfavorably. In the first case, a cure occurs, and in the second, the disease becomes chronic.

In the chronic course of the disease, stuttering becomes more and more severe over time. By the age of 6-7 years, children are reluctant to talk to new people. And at the age of 11-12, children’s behavior changes dramatically: they withdraw into themselves. Because they are well aware of their defect and are afraid of making an unfavorable impression on their interlocutor.

Children develop logophobia - a fear of conversation with an obsessive expectation of speech failures. That is, a vicious circle is formed: convulsive stuttering in speech leads to the emergence of negative emotions, and they, in turn, lead to increased stuttering.

In adults Logophobia becomes obsessive. Therefore, stuttering occurs only from the thought that there is a need to communicate or from memories of unsuccessful speech contacts in the past. As a result, adults feel socially inferior, they are constantly in a low mood, they have a fear of speech, so they often consciously refuse to communicate at all.

Neurosis-like form

In patients from the anamnesis (data from the past), it turns out that the mother suffered severe toxicosis during pregnancy, there was a threat of miscarriage, asphyxia (suffocation) or trauma during childbirth, and so on. That is, there is organic damage to the brain (dystrophic changes in brain cells), so this form of stuttering is more difficult to treat.

For the neurosis-like form of stuttering, the manifestations of the speech defect do not depend on external factors (for example, emotional stress).

Characteristics of children prone to developing a neurosis-like form of stuttering

In the first years of life, such children are noisy, sleep poorly, restless, and fussy. Their physical development is somewhat behind that of their peers. They have awkward movements and poor coordination, they are disinhibited and easily excited, irritable and hot-tempered.

Children do not tolerate heat, travel and stuffiness well. They get tired quickly and are also exhausted during physical and/or intellectual stress.

They have delayed speech development, the pronunciation of some sounds is impaired, their vocabulary accumulates slowly, and phrasal speech is formed late.

Symptoms

In children stuttering begins around the age of 3-4 years for no apparent reason, increasing gradually. The beginning, as a rule, coincides with the formation of phrasal speech.

In the first half of the year of the disease, periods with stuttering gradually become longer and appear more often, and “light” intervals (when the child does not stutter) are not observed. That is, the disease proceeds on “one note.”

Next, children begin to add extra phrases and words that do not carry a semantic load (embolophrasia): “a”, “e”, “well” and others. At the same time, the pace of speech itself is either accelerated or slowed down. As a rule, there is a sharp disturbance in breathing during speech: words are pronounced at the moment of inhalation or at the end of a full exhalation.

In addition, there is insufficient mobility, as well as coordination of the organs of articulation (tongue, palate, etc.), arms and legs. Also, spasms can occur in the facial muscles of the face or hands. As a rule, such children develop a poor ear for music.

Upon examination, it turns out that most children have organic brain damage of a residual nature. Therefore, children often have decreased memory and performance, they quickly get tired and suffer from headaches, they have attention deficit and hyperactivity.

In adults in the chronic course of this form of the disease there are often severe convulsions in all parts of the speech apparatus. As a rule, their speech is accompanied by nodding movements of the head, monotonous movements of the fingers, swaying of the body, and others. That is, there is a forced contraction of other muscle groups that have nothing to do with the formation of speech.

In severe forms of the disease, adults become tired of communication, so soon after starting a conversation they complain of fatigue and begin to answer in monosyllables.

In addition, adults find it difficult to adapt to new conditions, they have decreased memory and attention, increased fatigue and exhaustion.

Classes with a speech therapist bring relief to most patients, but only if the work is carried out regularly and for a long time.

Which doctor should I contact?

There are many reasons for the development of stuttering. Therefore, several specialists are involved in its treatment.

Neurologist and psychiatrist They treat diseases of the nervous system with the help of medications.

Psychotherapist uses various types of psychotherapy: hypnosis, auto-training and others.

Psychologist studies the patient’s personality, identifying character weaknesses and helping to correct them. Teaches how to communicate with others in various life situations, helps patients express themselves emotionally and creatively.

Speech therapist - a specialist who specializes in speech correction. His job is to teach proper breathing while speaking, using the voice, and speaking smoothly and rhythmically. The speech therapist does not correct incorrect pronunciation of syllables or words, but conveys to the patient that they can be pronounced easily, like all other words. Then the patient's fear of stuttering gradually decreases.

Acupuncturist By influencing special points with needles, it relieves nervous tension and improves blood circulation in the brain.

Physical therapy instructor Using special exercises, it helps patients develop the necessary coordination and ability to move freely.

At what age is it best to start treatment in children?

As soon as you think your child has started to stutter, contact a specialist. The maximum and fastest effect of treatment is available if you consult a doctor within 3-6 months from the onset of the disease.

A favorable outcome from treatment is achieved if it is started between the ages of 2 and 4 years, a less favorable outcome - from 10 to 16 years. Because slight vulnerability, the desire for freedom and unsociability, which occur in adolescence, negatively affect the results of treatment.

Treatment for stuttering

It is carried out both in the hospital and on an outpatient basis. Various types of psychotherapeutic influences, physical therapy, medications (for example, sedatives, antidepressants, vitamins) and so on are used in combination.

Treatment methods for stuttering

They exist in large numbers, but they all have the same task - to make the speech centers work synchronously at the same speed. It is based on inhibition of Broca's speech center and stimulation of other motor centers.

The article describes only some of the techniques used to treat stuttering in children and adults.

Eliminating stuttering in preschoolers

“Elimination of stuttering in preschoolers in play situations” - method of Vygodskaya I.G., Pellinger E.L. and Uspenskaya L.P.

The course lasts 2-3 months (36 lessons).

The basis of the methodology is the step-by-step creation of game situations that develop independent speech skills in children who stutter. And then they help to move from communicating in words to detailed phrases. In addition, the method includes speech therapy sessions at each stage: special exercises are performed to relax muscles and relieve emotional stress.

Methodology L.N.Smirnova “Speech therapy for stuttering”

A system of game exercises is used, designed for 30 weeks (one academic year). It is recommended to conduct classes daily for 15-20 minutes in the morning.

Goals

Providing speech and personality correction
Developing a sense of rhythm and tempo of speech
Improving attention and memory
Develops fine motor skills and relaxes muscle tone
Development of speech and motor coordination

Silivestrov's technique

Duration - from 3 to 4 months. Course - 32-36 lessons.

The technique includes three stages:

I. Preparatory. A calm environment is created and verbal communication is limited. Next, the child is stimulated to actively work on his speech.
II. Training. They move from quiet speech to loud speech, and from a calm type of activity to an emotional one. For this purpose, active, creative games are used. Moreover, at this stage, parents also take part in the treatment.
III. Fixative. Smooth speech is consolidated in more complex situations: conversation, story, and so on.

Eliminating stuttering in adolescents and adults

Methodology V.M. Shklovsky

It combines the work of a psychiatrist, neurologist and psychotherapist. The course of treatment is 2.5-3 months. During treatment, the patient remains in the hospital.

The technique includes four stages:

I. The patient is carefully examined and the cause of stuttering is identified.
II. The ingrained skills and disturbed attitudes of the individual are rebuilt.
III-IV. Speech training is carried out in the life environment in which a person who stutters usually finds himself. Thanks to this, the patient develops speech activity, and also strengthens his confidence that he can cope with stuttering in any situation.

Method L.3. Harutyunyan

Initially, treatment is carried out for 24 days in a hospital, then five courses of five to seven days throughout the year.

The technique consists of several stages:

Work is being done to eliminate speech cramps
The feeling of anxiety associated with the act of speech decreases
The patient’s awareness of their condition and confidence in recovery

A special feature of the technique is the synchronization of speech with the movements of the fingers of the leading hand. That is, a new psychological state is formed in which the patient’s speech is associated with calmness, correct intonation and facial expressions, confident posture, and so on. Initially, such speech is slow, but it makes it possible for the patient to speak without convulsive hesitation from the first lessons.

New techniques for treating stuttering

BreathMaker complex

When using the technique, the speech circle is “prosthetized” between Broca’s center (speech center) and Wernicke’s center (speech recognition center).

The essence of the technique

A person who stutters speaks into a microphone, his speech is recorded and then corrected by a computer program. Next, the corrected speech is fed into headphones and analyzed correctly by the Wernicke center. As a result, the tone is removed from Broca's center.

This mechanism is aimed at eliminating the patient’s psychological dependence and self-doubt. After all, with a slight hesitation, he thinks that those around him perceive him critically. Therefore, even greater overexcitation of speech centers occurs, which leads to worsening speech impairment.

Motivation is the basis of treatment

Patients with logoneurosis are talented, vulnerable and impressionable people. However, they are often inert or lazy. Over the long years of their illness, they adapt, deriving secondary benefit from their condition: they are called to the board less often, are not sent to reading competitions, are exempt from oral surveys, and so on.

However, you can and should fight your speech disorder. And the main thing is to remember that a “magic” pill for stuttering has not yet been invented.

What should parents do?

Little fidgets are a special category of patients. After all, it’s difficult to explain to a child that you need to be silent for just a few days, right now you can’t watch your favorite cartoon, and so on. Because due to the immaturity of their brain structures, children do not know how to wait. Therefore, parents will have to be patient and learn to use small tricks.

Organize your daily routine.
Ensure your child sleeps at least 8 hours a day (daytime naps if necessary), and exclude active and computer games in the evening. Limit your time watching cartoons and try not to watch new episodes while treatment is ongoing. Thus, overstrain of the central parts of speech will be reduced.

Organize proper communication.
Children do not stutter when they are alone, so try not to be the first to address your child. Talk to your baby calmly, slowly and smoothly, pronouncing all the words. When communicating with your child, try to use questions whose answers are simple and monosyllabic. If your child finds it difficult to pronounce a phrase on his own, say it together.

Observe the protective speech regime.
Read books only that you know well; do not ask your child to retell a fairy tale, what he saw, or to learn a poem - the right time for this will come a little later. Choose quiet places for walks. It is better to play quiet games (for example, assembling a construction set, modeling, drawing) so that the child comments on his actions, since he does not stutter when alone.

Watch your diet.
The diet should be dominated by vegetable and dairy foods. You should limit chocolate, sweets, spicy, salty and fried foods.

What should adult patients do?

It should be taken into account that there will be long and painstaking work for both the doctor and the patient. Therefore, before starting treatment, they enter into some kind of agreement with each other. According to it, the doctor undertakes to treat, and the patient - to follow all the doctor’s recommendations: exercise regularly, if necessary, observe a quiet regime at the beginning of treatment, and so on.

Then, having overcome his fear, the patient must “enter” stuttering. That is, keep a diary of speeches, take initiative in communication (for example, tell jokes or stories), and so on. This tactic gives good results. A striking example is celebrities who have overcome their illness.

Brain activity is not impaired, but the person’s speech is not coordinated with the speech apparatus.

The second name for stuttering is logoneurosis. It follows from this that stuttering is a neurotic illness and it occurs as a result of a weakening of the nervous system. This can happen during any infectious disease, mental trauma or other kind of influence. Often the cause is improper upbringing, conflicts, and excessive demands of parents on the child. It happens that stuttering occurs against the background of imitating one of the adults whose speech is not clear.

Logoneurosis develops mainly at an early age, at the time of speech formation. Stuttering in children can begin between the ages of 2 and 5, when children begin to speak in phrases, but it also happens at 6 and 7 years of age. Puberty is also at risk, as teenagers are overly sensitive and receptive.

Stuttering always comes from childhood. It does not happen that a child begins to stutter on his own - this is always preceded by some unfavorable event.

Medicine distinguishes two forms of stuttering – neurotic and neurosis-like. The cause of neurotic stuttering is usually some kind of psychological trauma. This could be a sudden fright, the death of a loved one or a beloved pet, scandals in the family, or beatings. As stuttering develops, logophobia – fear of speech – appears, which further aggravates the situation. The child, realizing the imperfection of his speech, tries to speak less and is ashamed of his defect. In parallel with this, vegetative disorders also develop - the child turns red and sweats from tension. If you do not pay attention to the problem, stuttering will progress and lead to other disorders, for example, twitching of the muscles of the face and neck, and limbs. Fear of the dark, insomnia, and bedwetting may develop.

Neurosis-like stuttering develops against the background of organic damage to the central nervous system and occurs gradually, in contrast to neurotic stuttering. There is convulsiveness of speech, which is often accompanied by forced movements of the muscles of the face and hands. However, with this form of stuttering, the child does not experience fear of speech, and all manifestations are stable. Neurosis-like stuttering is difficult to treat and depends on the general course of the disease against which it appeared.

Stuttering is often mistakenly called a speech disorder in which a person seems to be chanting words. Such speech is uneven - sometimes fast and loud, sometimes quiet and slow. This is speech ataxia, which develops with cerebellar disease.

Genuine neurotic stuttering directly depends on the person’s condition. In moments of excitement, it intensifies and weakens if the person is calm. The interesting thing is that people who stutter can sing beautifully.

Treatment of stuttering is carried out by speech therapists and psychotherapists, since this disease has a neurotic basis. Since no disturbances of the speech apparatus are observed during stuttering, it can be eliminated with complex treatment. Of course, the sooner work on this disease begins, the better. During the treatment period, it is very important to keep the patient calm. Kindness, consistency and attention will speed up recovery. In medical practice, there are cases of significant improvement in speech, as soon as the patient’s living conditions and his environment have changed.

Stuttering in adults: causes and treatment

Stuttering in adults can be cured

The percentage of adults who stutter is negligible. But such a speech disorder does not go unnoticed by people around. An adult who speaks with a stutter is forced to focus his attention not on the correct presentation of thoughts, but on the speech itself, bypassing words and expressions that are difficult for him. This often leads to misunderstanding or complete indifference to what is said on the part of the people listening. A person who stutters begins to communicate less and spend more time alone. But all this is fixable - stuttering in adults can be treated. It cannot be said that this happens quickly and easily, but it is a fact that it is successful.

Causes of stuttering

Stuttering in an adult can appear in early childhood or, conversely, in adulthood.

If a speech disorder arose in childhood and no special treatment was carried out or it did not bring the desired result, stuttering can manifest itself in a person throughout his life. Even if you manage to get rid of a speech disorder at an early age, there is a possibility that stuttering will reoccur in adulthood.

The causes of stuttering in an adult may be different, but they still have something in common - it is a psychological factor. Mental shock, strong emotional experience, sudden fear - all this can lead to speech impairment. Of course, this does not mean that a person will stutter all the time and in every situation. Where there is a need to explain oneself, to express one’s point of view, or, the worst thing for a stuttering person, to speak publicly, speech impairment will make itself felt. The more a person tunes in to the correct presentation of thoughts, the more worried he is and, as a result, stutters.

Speech impairment in adults is not always associated with psychological reasons. Stuttering can be a consequence of injury, concussion or infectious diseases. Concussions and injuries sustained during sports (boxing, wrestling) can cause serious speech impairment.

Treatment of stuttering in adults

For successful treatment of stuttering, it is very important to coordinate the breathing rhythm, the functioning of the vocal apparatus and the muscles involved in the functioning of the organs that are used to produce sounds. The main thing here is to achieve smoothness and leisurely speech. To begin with, it is very useful to learn how to pronounce short sentences without hesitation. Then the length of the phrases gradually increases, approaching the standard one. Indispensable in the treatment of stuttering is articulatory gymnastics - special exercises that increase the tone of the muscles of the speech apparatus and increase the mobility of the speech organs themselves.

Since the occurrence of stuttering mainly has a psychological basis, during the treatment process it is necessary to pay more attention to eliminating feelings of fear, anxiety and self-doubt. It is important to achieve a calm, measured rhythm of speech. To do this, you don’t need to immediately try your hand at public speaking. You need to start small: first a small number of listeners, and then, with tangible success, you can increase the audience. Positive results have been noted among adults who stutter who decide to try their hand at the theatrical field: these can be small skits or even performances in local studios.

Hypnosis is increasingly being used as a treatment for stuttering. A person is instilled with the idea that he speaks distinctly, clearly and without hesitation, constructs his speech correctly and is convincing in his statements.

A person himself must want to get rid of stuttering. A lot of patience will be required, as treatment for stuttering in adults can take months. You need to understand that good results may not immediately follow, something will not work out, or at a certain stage it will become difficult to overcome your established communication skills. But this is all temporary. The main thing is that stuttering in adults is treatable. And perseverance and perseverance will be indispensable helpers in achieving this goal!

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Stuttering in adults

The International Classification of Diseases defines stuttering as a speech pathology in which sounds, syllables or words are repeated several times or prolonged, along with pauses in speech and hesitation in speech. The irregular and dissonant speech of a stuttering person creates both personal and interpersonal discomfort. The problem is not always amenable to a medical solution, and a person’s complexes arise both in childhood and persist for life.

Causes of stuttering in adults

The occurrence of stuttering in adults cannot be called typical. Typically, this speech pathology develops between the ages of 2 and 6 years, because speech skills are acquired then. Working with specialists at this age allows you to partially and sometimes completely overcome the problem. At the same time, relapses of stuttering already in adolescence are very common. From 15 to 17 years of age, according to doctors, the worsening of stuttering is associated with lability of the nervous system and the emergence of neuroses.

But what if the person did not stutter before, and the speech impediment develops in adulthood? Medical statistics indicate that among adults the prevalence of the problem is estimated at no more than 1%. But nevertheless, this is a lot.

The nature of stuttering is due to the fact that contraction of the muscles of the speech and respiratory apparatus in a sick person is accompanied by convulsions. By the way, stuttering in adults, as well as in children, has long been considered exclusively as a manifestation of an illness, and not a banal flaw. Several centuries ago, the psychoneurological origin of this speech feature was established, and today speech therapy, neurological, psychological and psychotherapeutic treatment techniques are used to eliminate it.

The origins of cramps when formulating words can be divided into two classes:

neurotic (logoneurosis) - can occur in both childhood and adulthood, for example, as a result of psychological trauma, sudden shock, severe grief, deep emotional shock; in this case, the speech pathology is not physiologically determined in any way, and the person may begin to stutter at certain moments, literally in the middle of normal speech; This can be provoked, for example, by the over-importance of the spoken speech;
organic (neurosis-like) - caused by functional abnormalities in the functioning of the brain; symptoms can appear either constantly or depending on the circumstances; the impetus for the appearance of stuttering of this nature can be injuries, contusions, strokes, tumor processes; stuttering will go away during treatment of the underlying disease.

The manifestation of stuttering in adults is much less common than the persistence of this defect from childhood or its relapse. The cause of stuttering in adulthood is trauma or deep emotional shock. Such logoneurosis is usually classified as stressful or reactive. What is noteworthy is that he requires timely medical care, without which he risks being complicated by defects in facial expressions and becoming entrenched in speech practice. Such an interlocutor will experience personal discomfort with every word, and will not make the most pleasant impression on his interlocutors.

People who have stuttered since childhood also face a similar situation - a hereditary predisposition or formed habits further aggravate the patient’s condition.

Stuttering in adults, and especially in children, should never be taken for granted. The sooner you start working on your speech, the easier it will be to normalize it. The defect is successfully eliminated with professional help. The disease is often characterized by a favorable prognosis. At the same time, it is necessary to prepare for long-term cooperation with specialists, possibly from related medical fields.

Stuttering, whether it has persisted into adulthood or has just emerged, is often accompanied by visually noticeable symptoms:

nervous tic of facial muscles,
involuntary, impulsive shaking of the limbs.

At any age, the disease has a complex origin. It is too superficial to associate logoneuroses with severe stress or fear. One child may be scared and not start stuttering. Another may experience a difficult childhood, but only encounter stuttering in adulthood, and then, at first glance, for an unknown reason. The whole essence of the triggered mechanism is increased anxiety, a predisposition of the brain to such a defect, which occurs only with an indirect push or reason.

Stuttering can develop at any age, but hereditary predisposition and lability of the child’s psyche greatly increase the prevalence of stuttering among children. Failure in the transmission of nerve impulses occurs due to disturbances in the relationship of nervous processes in the cerebral cortex, including in the area of speech reproduction. This is precisely the nature of convulsions in various parts of the speech apparatus - in the larynx, pharynx, tongue, lips. Due to such circumstances, some components of the speech apparatus are triggered earlier, others later; the pace and fluency of speech is impaired.

If the weakness of the nervous system in childhood sometimes turns out to be congenital, then in an adult prone to stuttering, it can be a consequence of previous infectious diseases or sluggish pathology. Including those occurring from a young age. Stuttering in an adult can develop against the background of long-term and even forgotten measles, scarlet fever, meningitis, encephalitis, and also against the background of chronic rheumatism or pneumonia. Children with a weakened nervous system may be born, for example, due to an unfavorable pregnancy. Psychological reasons for the weakening of the nervous system in adulthood are less influential. For the simple reason that the psyche has already been formed and can be shaken by a truly strong nervous shock, and not by everyday quarrels or a harsh attitude, as is the case with childhood stuttering.

It is noteworthy that this speech pathology is more common among the male part of the population (70%). Scientists link this to higher emotional stability among women. Having studied the dependence of speech functions on the functioning of the brain hemispheres, scientists came to the conclusion that left-handers may be more susceptible to stuttering.

The internal speech of an adult is always free, in contrast to the formation of speech by children. Stuttering, which occurs in adulthood, manifests itself only during communication, and people speak “to themselves” without difficulty.

Correction of stuttering in adults

Overcoming stuttering in adults on your own is extremely difficult and usually unsuccessful. Interestingly, at a moment of deep shock, it may be extremely important for the injured person to provide a kind of “first aid” so that the defect does not have time to take hold. If you see that, due to severe stress, the person next to you begins to stutter or express thoughts unclearly, then you can immediately bring him out of this state with a banal treat of hot tea or strong alcohol. However, the precedent that has occurred should be a reason for subsequent contact with a competent specialist.

The specialist analyzes the history of disorders - congenital or acquired, and studies the results of laboratory tests. This is a reliable basis for developing a method for individual correction of the disease.

The secret to successful treatment of stuttering in adults is an individual approach and comprehensive treatment. They choose a variety of treatment tactics - from hypnosis to massage, and they are combined with each other. To work out not only speech defects, but also muscle tension, stiffness and angularity of movements, frequent cramps, and sometimes headaches, the help of a neurologist and reflexologist is useful.

Of course, their participation, as well as work with a vibration therapist, is important in the recovery period after injury, concussion or stroke, if stuttering in adults occurs as a result of such. With injury, illness, and sometimes stress, muscles tend to contract, in which state they remain. If a person constantly experiences the same feelings, tension accumulates, and so-called myofascial formations appear in certain places. These are compacted and spasmodic areas of muscle tissue that interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses. At the initial stage of treating stuttering in adults, it is important to identify such areas and relieve tension from them. For this, both medications and myotherapy, that is, muscle treatment, can be used.

If stuttering in adults, which happens infrequently, is of a psychological nature, then you should consult a psychologist. With it you can work through mental pressures, fears, and other traumatic circumstances. For example, if an adult begins to stutter during a public speech or an important speech.

A speech therapist can also work with speech, although his methods are more often used in relation to patients of childhood and adolescence. Articulation gymnastics, speech therapy massage, breathing exercises, “silence mode” and other techniques can come to the rescue.

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Stuttering. Causes, types, treatment of pathology.

The site provides reference information. Adequate diagnosis and treatment of the disease is possible under the supervision of a conscientious doctor.

Statistics

Celebrities who have stuttered

Anatomy and physiology of speech

Central department

The frontal gyri of the cerebral cortex are responsible for the work of the muscles and ligaments involved in the formation of oral speech (sounds, syllables, words) - Broca's center (motor center). During the first year of a child's life, it gradually activates.
The temporal gyri are responsible for the perception of one's own speech and the speech of others - Wernicke's auditory center.
The parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex provides speech understanding.
The occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex (visual area) is responsible for the acquisition of written language.
Subcortical nodes (nuclei of gray matter located under the cerebral hemispheres) are responsible for the rhythm and expressiveness of speech.
Pathways (groups of nerve fibers) connect different parts of the brain and spinal cord.
The cranial nerves arise from the brain stem (located at the inner base of the skull) and innervate the muscles of the speech apparatus, neck, heart, and respiratory organs.

Peripheral department

The respiratory section (serves to supply air) includes the trachea, chest along with the bronchi and lungs. Speech is formed during exhalation, so it becomes longer than inhalation in a ratio of 1:20 or 1:30.

Mechanism of speech formation

Mechanism of development of stuttering

New theory in the development of stuttering

Professor Gerald Maguire from the University of California conducted research and found that people who stutter have increased levels of dopamine (a neurotransmitter that controls brain function). And if this theory is confirmed, then perhaps drugs that lower dopamine levels will soon appear. That is, you take a pill and you can go on stage to speak.

Causes of stuttering

Stuttering in children

Risk factors for stuttering in children

They only create the preconditions for the formation of stuttering.

Causes of stuttering in children

There are several groups, but the reasons can often be combined.

Stuttering in adults

Causes of stuttering in adults

Types of stuttering

Types of stuttering according to the form of seizures

Clonic stuttering is when several short-term spasms following each other lead to the involuntary repetition of individual syllables and sounds.
Tonic stuttering - if the muscles contract for a long time and strongly. As a result, speech delay occurs.
The mixed form develops when both types of speech impairment are combined.

In addition, sometimes violent and involuntary movements (convulsions) of the muscles of the face and/or limbs join the spasms of the muscles of the tongue, lips and soft palate.

Constant - stuttering, having arisen, is constantly present in all situations and forms of speech.
Wavy - stuttering does not disappear completely: it appears and then disappears.
Recurrent (recurrent) - a speech defect, having disappeared, appears again. Sometimes after quite long periods of speech without hesitation.

Types of stuttering according to clinical forms

Which doctor should I contact?

At what age is it best to start treatment in children?

Treatment for stuttering

Treatment methods for stuttering

Eliminating stuttering in preschoolers

Providing speech and personality correction
Developing a sense of rhythm and tempo of speech
Improving attention and memory
Develops fine motor skills and relaxes muscle tone
Development of speech and motor coordination

Silivestrov's technique

II. Training. They move from quiet speech to loud speech, and from a calm type of activity to an emotional one. For this purpose, active, creative games are used. Moreover, at this stage, parents also take part in the treatment.

III. Fixative. Smooth speech is consolidated in more complex situations: conversation, story, and so on.

Eliminating stuttering in adolescents and adults

II. The ingrained skills and disturbed attitudes of the individual are rebuilt.

III-IV. Speech training is carried out in the life environment in which a person who stutters usually finds himself. Thanks to this, the patient develops speech activity, and also strengthens his confidence that he can cope with stuttering in any situation.

Work is being done to eliminate speech cramps
The feeling of anxiety associated with the act of speech decreases
The patient’s awareness of their condition and confidence in recovery

New techniques for treating stuttering

Motivation is the basis of treatment

Ensure your child sleeps at least 8 hours a day (daytime naps if necessary), and exclude active and computer games in the evening. Limit your time watching cartoons and try not to watch new episodes while treatment is ongoing. Thus, overstrain of the central parts of speech will be reduced.

Children do not stutter when they are alone, so try not to be the first to address your child. Talk to your baby calmly, slowly and smoothly, pronouncing all the words. When communicating with your child, try to use questions whose answers are simple and monosyllabic. If your child finds it difficult to pronounce a phrase on his own, say it together.

Read books only that you know well; do not ask your child to retell a fairy tale, what he saw, or to learn a poem - the right time for this will come a little later. Choose quiet places for walks. It is better to play quiet games (for example, assembling a construction set, modeling, drawing) so that the child comments on his actions, since he does not stutter when alone.

The diet should be dominated by vegetable and dairy foods. You should limit chocolate, sweets, spicy, salty and fried foods.

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Causes and treatment of stuttering in adult patients

Stuttering is a disease that manifests itself in the form of impaired speech functions and has a psychoneurological origin. Most often, children suffer from stuttering; in adults, the disease manifests itself extremely rarely, but is more painful.

Stuttering in adulthood causes difficulties when speaking; patients suffer from speech impediments, cannot pronounce words correctly, stretch out, or, conversely, involuntarily shorten syllables. The disease may be accompanied by muscle tics, twitching of the limbs and difficulty breathing.

For a long time, stuttering could not be treated. Modern medicine has made a huge leap forward, making it possible not only to diagnose the disease, but also to treat it very successfully.

Through the joint efforts of speech therapists, neurologists, psychologists and psychotherapists, it is possible to achieve positive results even in the treatment of stuttering in elderly patients who have had difficulty speaking since childhood.

Research in recent years allows us to distinguish two natures of the development of stuttering:

Neurotic stuttering

Neurotic stuttering manifests itself in the form of a violation of the normal rhythm of speech, the occurrence of stuttering and repetitions. This form of disorder is directly related to tonic and tonic-clonic convulsions in the respiratory-vocal and articular muscles.

The nature of the disease has a psychological background, which makes it possible to classify it as a group of neurotic diseases. In medicine, the term logoneurosis is also used.

Neurotic stuttering is always associated with a stressful situation. Most often, men suffer from stuttering. The disease can appear one-time or become a permanent occurrence.

In the first case, a person may begin to stutter after a strong fright, in an attack of panic, or anger. In the second case, a person experiences the same sensations, but they have acquired a permanent character.

Since neurotic stuttering is associated with psychology, its causes can be very different. Sometimes a person begins to stutter in childhood, imitating someone from his environment, gets used to such speech and does not notice its defect.

Heredity associated with disorders of the speech apparatus plays a huge role in determining the causes of stuttering.

Neurosis-like stuttering

This type of disorder develops in childhood. Typically, this form of the disease affects children 3-4 years old who have suffered severe physical trauma or were born with pathology of internal organs.

Stuttering can be caused by asphyxia and difficult childbirth. Children show developmental delays, they refuse to walk for a long time, they get tired quickly, they begin to talk at 2-3 years old, and they cannot remember even the simplest words.

Etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder

At least 1% of adults on the planet suffer from stuttering. There is no general consensus regarding the etiology of stuttering. Experts identify the following factors that have a direct or indirect effect on the occurrence of the disease:

age;
gender;
state of the central nervous system;
individual characteristics of speech development;
functional asymmetry of the brain;
mental trauma;
genetics.

Stuttering is more common in men than in women, which is due to their greater exposure to various types of stress.

When studying the pathogenesis of the disorder, the following approaches are used:

Clinical and physiological. A person who stutters is quite capable of adequately perceiving speech if it comes from the mouth of another person or is broadcast through an audio recording. He may well formulate in his mind the phrase he wants to pronounce, but he cannot say it as intended, which is associated with a violation at the level of speaking and the level of speech prosody. The speech function is not impaired at the physical level; it is either not fully developed, or the speaking person is under severe stress and therefore is unable to speak correctly. Statistics show that left-handers are more likely to stutter, but no definitive studies have been conducted on this matter.
Psychological and pedagogical. Proponents of this approach associate the manifestation of the disorder with a fear of speaking that arose at the psychological level. Typically, such fear develops in children experiencing authoritarian pressure from their parents, but it can also manifest itself in adults suffering from the oppression of their superiors and family troubles.
Social. It was found that in the absence of listeners, a stuttering person speaks correctly, there are no obvious speech impairments, which allows us to talk about the social nature of stuttering.
Psycholinguistic. Proponents of the psycholinguistic approach take monologue speech disorders as the basis for their study, since monologue is impossible without clearly structured, coherent and purposeful mental activity. Through many years of experiments, it was found that stuttering is directly related to the emotions that the speaker experiences when reading. People who read emotionally charged text stuttered more than those who read completely devoid of emotion text in a dry business style. When reading again, stuttering decreased, since the text was already familiar to the person and did not evoke the same emotions as during its initial reading. In addition, it has been proven that high social adaptation of a person has a direct impact on the development of the disorder. The higher it is, the less speech defect is observed.

Provocateurs of deviation

Possible reasons for the development of stuttering in adults may be:

severe fear;
suffered stress;
anger that instantly seized a person;
developmental pathologies;
negative attitude of family and superiors;
hormonal and endocrine disorders;
suffered traumatic brain injuries;
developmental delays present in childhood.

Stuttering can be a hereditary disease that does not appear for a long time. In the presence of a stressful situation, deviation can appear at the most inopportune moment and become a permanent phenomenon in a person’s life.

Development phases

Stuttering in adults is much more difficult to treat than in childhood, so parents raising children under the age of 12 are advised to carefully monitor whether they show signs of this disease.

As the disease progresses, it can cause severe speech defects. Experts distinguish 4 phases of stuttering development:

Deviation in speech in preschool children. The manifestation of the disease can be observed with a strong emotional outburst. Typically, stuttering at this age does not lead to serious problems and disappears on its own.
Stuttering in children of primary school age. The disease, which manifests itself in younger schoolchildren, is considered a pathology requiring immediate treatment. Sometimes stuttering schoolchildren can speak quite coherently, but gradually, being ridiculed by other children, they stop trying to pronounce words correctly and the speech defect intensifies.
Disorder in adolescents. The disease manifests itself in an intensified form when communicating with strangers, answering at the board, or talking on the phone.
Stuttering in adolescence and adulthood. If the disease cannot be overcome in childhood and adolescence, it becomes chronic and forces adults to look for replacements for some words that are difficult to pronounce.

Clinical picture

Stuttering is not a disease in the literal sense of the word, since it is usually classified as a manifestation of hidden pathologies of the human body. The violation may be associated with problems such as:

psychological disorder;
the presence of a guilt complex in a person;
feeling of anxiety;
loneliness;
fear;
difficulties in communication;
reluctance to make important decisions and deal with everyday chores.

The development of stuttering is usually associated with damage to the speech organs and muscle tissue of the larynx. Spasms and respiratory convulsions that occur as a result of excessive anxiety have a significant impact on the manifest speech defect.

Establishing diagnosis

Diagnosing stuttering in adults is quite simple, since an adult is quite capable of explaining and demonstrating what exactly he is not happy with in his own speech.

Diagnosis of the disease is carried out under the guidance of a speech therapist and neurologist. In the future, the patient may be prescribed a consultation with a psychologist and psychotherapist, who can determine whether the cause of the disease lies in domestic problems and difficulties in relationships with relatives.

Upon diagnosis, the patient may exhibit secondary symptoms:

logophobia;
sweaty hands;
facial redness;
obsessive hand movements and movements of other parts of the body.

Correct diagnosis allows immediate treatment of the disease to begin.

Correction of deviations

In the correction of stuttering, a special place is occupied by an individual approach and comprehensive treatment. Depending on the causes of stuttering, the doctor may recommend massage courses, hypnosis and drug treatment. In special cases, reflexology and consultation with a neurologist will be required.

If the disorder was caused by an injury, the patient will need to consult a vibration specialist. You can get rid of complex cases of stuttering by relieving tension in certain areas of the body; in this situation, myotherapy aimed at muscle therapy may be recommended.

A speech therapist can also correct the patient’s condition, using methods such as speech therapy massage, articulation exercises and various breathing exercises.

The main goal of correction is to maximize speech improvement. The difficulties of correctional treatment are associated with the need to simultaneously use means and methods of the neurological, speech therapy, psychological and therapeutic fields.

When you're at home

It is impossible to cure stuttering on your own at home, but if you find signs of a disorder in yourself or those around you, you should take a sedative, brew and drink some herbal tea to relieve tension. If this does not help, you can take a bath with soothing salts.

Herbal decoctions and mixtures, which can be purchased at the pharmacy, have a relaxing effect on the body. The most beneficial effect is provided by fragrant rue.

One teaspoon of rue is poured into a glass of boiling water and allowed to brew for 7-10 minutes. The finished drink is taken three times a day, 1 teaspoon.

Stuttering does not imply the development of complications. In general, the prognosis is very favorable. Intensive treatment, taking all medications prescribed by a doctor and following a regimen that is gentle on the voice and speech receptors can have a significant impact on speech alignment.

Many adults who consult a doctor in a timely manner quite successfully fight and overcome the disease.

Prevention of violation

Stuttering in adults is often associated with nervous overexcitation and mental distress. The best preventive measure is the desire to avoid stressful situations, the ability to always find the good side in everything.

By being in a good mood, not immersing yourself in pressing problems beyond the prescribed limit, and taking care of your own mental health, a person may never encounter such a problem.

It is extremely important to find harmony of spirit and body; yoga classes, listening to quiet classical music and simply relaxing on the sofa with your favorite book in your hands can provide invaluable help in this. Not knowing how to relieve mental stress, it is best to consult a doctor and solve the problem under his guidance.

In medicine, stuttering is a specific disorder of speech functions that is not characteristic of a healthy person. There are several forms and types of disorders, the treatment of which largely depends on the person’s discipline, his willingness to undergo a long course of treatment and the ability to take care of himself and his health.

This section was created to take care of those who need a qualified specialist, without disturbing the usual rhythm of their own lives.

Stuttering in adults

Smooth, intelligible speech is natural and familiar to human hearing. Inappropriate pauses, frequent repetitions or prolongations of sounds and syllables, and other deviations from the normal pace and smoothness of conversation are characteristic of adults who stutter. Speech defects in adulthood are often accompanied by involuntary, impulsive movements of the limbs or tics of the facial muscles.

Since ancient times, medicine has considered speech difficulties to be a manifestation of a disease, and not a simple disadvantage. For a long time, successful and proven treatment methods did not exist, although doctors strived for this. Only towards the end of the 19th century was the phenomenon of stuttering sufficiently studied to give rise to the development of systemic measures to help patients.

The diagnosis that is made to a person who stutters takes into account not only the external manifestation of speech disorders, but also their psychoneurological origin. Speech therapists, neurologists, psychologists and psychotherapists take part in the rehabilitation of patients. Practice confirms that even persistent, long-term stuttering that began at an early age can be corrected.

Causes

When pronouncing words, a person who stutters convulsively contracts the muscles of the speech and respiratory apparatus. The root causes of this condition are divided into two classes, depending on the type of pathology. Neurotic stuttering (logoneurosis) or organic (neurosis-like) is diagnosed.

Organic pathologies are associated with the presence of functional abnormalities in the functioning of the brain. Modern encephalography detects such deviations with high accuracy. The manifestations of symptoms are constant and do not depend on the circumstances of the speech act. Injuries, contusions, strokes, and tumor processes can provoke the occurrence of stuttering, the elimination of which is associated with the treatment of the underlying disease.
Logoneurosis occurs in adults after suffering psychological trauma, sudden shock, severe grief, deep emotional shock. Pathological speech in this case is not caused by physiology. Often a person begins to stutter at a certain moment, although before that he spoke normally. Provoking circumstances include the high importance of the conversation or the need to speak in front of an audience.

The largest group of patients is those who have stuttered since childhood.

Hereditary predisposition and established habits further aggravate the patient’s condition. This does not mean that the prognosis of the disease is unfavorable. But the general course of treatment can be long - a year or more.

Establishing the objective causes of stuttering is within the competence of the doctor. The specialist analyzes the history of disorders - congenital or acquired, and studies the results of laboratory tests. On this reliable basis, a method for individual correction of the disease will be developed.

Features of stuttering in adults

Of the ten people who stutter, seven will be men. Women are more emotionally stable; nature itself protected them from speech problems. They are prone to defects and left-handedness. These circumstances confirm the involvement of structural features of the brain in disorders of speech functions.

If a witness to a stressful situation observes the sudden appearance of stuttering in a shocked person, then you can try to help the victim of the circumstances. There are known cases when hot tea or a sip of alcohol restored the normal rate of speech, preventing the formation of persistent distortions. Such an “ambulance” does not exclude the need for further treatment of the patient by a neurologist.

The inner speech of an adult is always free. Stuttering that begins in adulthood only manifests itself during communication. People speak “to themselves” without difficulty, even if the defect has maximum external embodiment.

This fact speaks in favor of the possibility of a cure for the disease.

Treatment

Scientific research clearly demonstrates the possibility of overcoming speech disorders with an integrated approach to treatment. All aspects of the disease must be taken into account: social, biological, psychological. Courses of medications, classes with a speech therapist, and the participation of a neurologist and psychotherapist in working with the patient are included in correctional systems focused on healing.

Author's methods for stuttering correction

The method of sustainable speech normalization by L.Z. Harutyunyan includes methods for the formation of new speech motor skills, coordinated with the harmonious movements of the guiding hand. The method is successfully used in many clinics for adult patients with any severity of stuttering. There is evidence of the return of fluency of speech to patients with congenital organic abnormalities.
The method of social rehabilitation by Yu. B. Nekrasova is successful in cases of logoneurosis and requires the participation of an experienced psychotherapist. Treatment is long-term, carried out in stages, designed for groups of patients. During classes and sessions, patients learn independent techniques to stabilize breathing and the nervous system. This knowledge and skills remain useful throughout life.
The biofeedback (BFB) method is one of the most modern and involves the use of computer technology. Biofeedback is practiced for individual correction with the participation of a speech therapist. High-tech hardware systems are available in many foreign and Russian clinics. The equipment includes breathing simulators, brain activity and muscle contraction recorders. The doctor-instructor conducts the required number of sessions, allowing the patient to master effective techniques of self-regulation and self-control.

Sudden onset stuttering may be the first sign of a stroke. All symptoms and emergency care.

In rare cases, brain injury can lead to stuttering. Detailed material about traumatic brain injuries here.

What you can do yourself

Treatment of stuttering is impossible without mastering self-help techniques. The patient receives optimal advice from an experienced doctor after examination and treatment.

Focusing on exclusively independent work can bring success in cases of mild degrees of logoneurosis.

Methods available for use by patients themselves include auto-training and Strelnikova’s breathing exercises.

Overcoming stuttering largely depends on the person’s attitude towards achieving the desired goal. Initial assistance from specialists is relevant both in the therapeutic and methodological aspects. Positive dynamics in the condition of a person suffering from speech defects can inspire him to achieve ever higher results and lead to a complete recovery.

Below is a fragment of the NTV Morning program, which talks about the problem of stuttering:

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There are no magic ways to cure stuttering. Therapy, electronic devices, and even medications will not cure it overnight. However, people experiencing problems with stuttering can fight this condition on their own, or can speed up this process with the help of a speech therapist. If you are serious about overcoming your stuttering and starting a new life with improved speech, then follow the tips and techniques outlined in this guide.

Steps

Treatment at home

Relax, mentally and physically... Tell yourself that you can handle it. The more you worry about stuttering, the more likely you are to stutter. Relax your body and your mind.

Relax your body:
- Get rid of tension in your back, neck and arms. Relax your shoulders and let them drop to their natural level.
- Vibrate your lips for a few seconds before you start speaking. Singers do this to warm up.
- Release any remaining tension in your legs and arms. Turn your upper body in different directions.
Relax your mind:
- Tell yourself: “I am stronger than my stutter, my stutter is weaker than me!”
- Don't say it like it's a matter of life and death. Stuttering is annoying, but it's clearly less of a problem for other people than it is for you. Let this thought calm you.
- Concentrate all your attention inside your head. Allow your attention to move to the distant corners of your body, while continuing to breathe evenly. This exercise can be considered a form of meditation.

Stand in front of a mirror and imagine that the reflection is another person. Try talking to “him” about anything: how your day went, how you feel, what dish you plan to cook later. Gradually, you will notice that your stuttering begins to disappear.
- Of course, talking to a reflection is not the same as talking to another person, but this exercise should give you confidence. When preparing to talk with another person, just remember how you managed to talk to your reflection.
- Try talking to yourself for 30 minutes every day. It may seem strange at first, but the essence of the exercise is to hear your voice without stuttering. This will give you confidence.
Read books out loud. This way you can improve your communication skills. Just read out loud and loud. It will be difficult at first, but this way you will learn to breathe correctly. One of the main problems for people who stutter is the inability to understand when exactly to breathe while reading or speaking. At the same time, you will better understand how best to avoid stuttering.

Visualize the words you want to say before you do it. It won't be easy to master, but it will really help you. If you can imagine the words, you will begin to “own” them and will be better able to stop stuttering while saying them. Until you learn to imagine them, they will not become yours. Have a clear picture in your head of what you want to say.
- If you have trouble coming up with a word, try a word that sounds similar. With this word, you may well succeed.
- Try pronouncing a word that you constantly stutter with. You may have to say it very slowly, letter by letter, but in the end you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you know how to pronounce it.
- Don't be afraid to pause while you're introducing a word or trying to say it. We are accustomed to the fact that silence means that the conversation is not going well. You will have to relearn and start thinking of silence as a good moment for you.
If you start to stutter, try to relieve tension between blocks of words. Stop stuttering by making deep guttural sounds after each block. For example: “Mmmm- G-r-r-r-r car.” Try to stop, then continue again.

Get into the right frame of mind. Before you start speaking, be optimistic. In many cases, the very fear of stuttering can lead to it. Instead of being afraid of failure, imagine that you will succeed. This will help you get rid of excessive insecurity.

Train your breathing and it will become easier for you to speak. Very often, it becomes difficult for a person who stutters to breathe while speaking. Breathing exercises can be very helpful in combating stuttering. Try using them to make your speech smoother:
- Take a few deep breaths before you start speaking. Imagine that you are about to dive into the water and you need to take a few breaths before doing so. This will help make your breathing easier. If you're in a situation where you wouldn't feel comfortable doing this, try taking deep breaths through your nose.
- Remember that you need to breathe while speaking and when you start to stutter. People who stutter often forget to breathe as soon as they begin to stutter. Stop, breathe a few times and try the word or phrase again.
- Don't try to set speed records. There are many people around who can speak very quickly, but your goal is not to learn to speak the same way. Your goal is to learn to express your thoughts in words so that you are understood. Learn to speak at a moderate speed. You have nowhere to rush and there are no competitions in which you can lose.
Try adding a little rhythm to your speech. People who stutter usually stop stuttering while singing. This happens for several reasons: the words they sing are stretched out, and the voice with which they sing becomes much softer than during normal speech. If you can add even a little rhythm to your speech (make it more oratorical, like Martin Luther King), you will notice that you stutter less or even stop stuttering altogether.

If you speak in front of an audience, do not look at specific people. Look over their heads, or at a point behind everyone else. This way you will be able to avoid excessive anxiety and thus will not start to stutter.
- If you are talking to someone in particular, see if you can maintain constant eye contact with them. You don't have to stare at the person, but making eye contact will relax them, which in turn will calm you down.
Don't pay attention to minor failures. Understand that you will make mistakes anyway. But you are not defined by your mistakes. You are defined by how you deal with obstacles. Get ready for the fact that you will most likely have to suffer a lot of defeats, but the main thing is to win the entire war.

Never give up. Even if people don't like the fact that you stutter, their opinion shouldn't affect your self-esteem.

Listen carefully to what the child has to say without interrupting him. If your child begins to stutter, allow him to finish his thought without interrupting him or trying to finish his sentence for him. Show your child that you love and support him when he begins to stutter.

Talk to your child about his stuttering if he brings it up. If your child wants to talk about it, take time to discuss the problem and possible solutions. Let your child know that you understand how difficult it is for him.

If your child is seeing a speech therapist, ask the speech therapist when it is possible to unobtrusively correct your child's speech and when it is not appropriate. Find out about all the possible recommendations that a speech therapist can give you.

Getting help from a speech therapist

Don't be afraid to seek help from a speech therapist if the situation doesn't improve. In most cases, stuttering goes away on its own, especially at a young age. The help of a speech therapist is recommended in certain cases, especially when a person suffering from stuttering is depressed because of this or considers stuttering as a serious obstacle to his life.

A speech therapist can help in some cases. In some cases, intervention by a speech therapist may be beneficial, but not in all cases. A speech therapist can help a child if:
- Stuttering has been going on for more than 6 months
- The inability to continue the conversation may last more than a few seconds
- There was a history of stuttering problems in the family
- The child feels strong emotional pressure due to his stuttering.
You need to understand what speech therapists can do and what they cannot. Typically, speech therapists provide patients with multiple treatment sessions to reduce the impact of stuttering on communication, rather than to cure it altogether. Then the patients themselves apply the learned skills in everyday situations.
- It is possible that the speech therapist will need to talk with parents, teachers, and sometimes even friends of the patient in order to better understand how to use therapeutic techniques, as well as understand what the patient himself wants to achieve. This is also necessary to ensure that patients receive help and support even outside of therapy.
- Hand gestures can help stop stuttering in some cases.
- If you start stuttering when someone is around, just tell them and don't worry. For example, if you like your interlocutor, tell him about it, he will understand you.
- If you need to give a presentation, prepare it in advance. One way to reduce stuttering is to manage your breathing. Try marking on paper with a marker the number of breaths you need to take to keep your speech fluent. If you don't have the ability to do this, try taking breaths while punctuating.
- Learn your words before you say them. If you didn’t have time to prepare, then take more pauses between words.
- Read the book "Self Therapy for People Who Stutter" by the American Foundation for Stuttering. It will take practice and patience, but you will eventually master your stuttering.
Warnings
- Don't let anyone make you feel bad about your speech. Everyone has something that makes that person imperfect. People who can't control their rudeness have much more flaws than you.
  - No one can make you feel bad unless you allow it.
    - Eleanor Roosevelt