Treatment of stuttering in children: causes, symptoms and correction

Stuttering in children is a disorder of the tempo-rhythmic aspect of speech, caused by repeated convulsions in the articulatory, vocal or respiratory parts of the speech apparatus. Stuttering in children is characterized by “getting stuck” on individual sounds, their repeated, involuntary repetition, accompanying movements, and vegetative reactions. The term has several synonyms: logoneurosis, logoclonia, laloneurosis.

In children, one can often observe so-called physiological iterations, which manifest themselves in hesitations and children’s repetition of certain sounds and syllables. The reasons for this disorder may be insufficient development of the tempo-rhythmic side of oral speech, disruption of the functional activity of the auditory, speech and motor analyzers. If a child has a weak nervous system and there are other unfavorable factors, then physiological repetitions can become persistent and develop into stuttering.

There are more boys than girls among children who stutter. This is due to the structure of the hemispheres. The hemisphere in girls is organized in such a way that the left hemisphere works better than the right.

Basically, stuttering in children begins between 3-5 years of age - at this stage, speech develops in the most active way, but since the speech function may not be fully formed, various kinds of speech pathologies may arise.

Causes

We will list the most common causes of stuttering in children aged 3 to 5 years. This pathology can occur for a number of reasons, be congenital or acquired.

Congenital factors for the development of the defect include:

Various types of pathologies during pregnancy and gestation (oxygen starvation, infectious processes, etc.).
Problems during the birth period (injuries, early birth, etc.).
Genetic predisposition along one of the lines of kinship.
Individual personality characteristics, characteristics of the nervous system (predominance of excitability processes, hyperanxiety).

Acquired stuttering is provoked by:

Shock trauma. Death of a parent or significant loved one. Chronic stress.
Psychological trauma. Physical or psychological abuse. Bullying. Humiliation from peers or family.
Physiological processes. Features of the development of the child’s cerebral hemispheres; this reason can be exclusively an age-related feature and resolve itself as the child grows up.
Past illnesses. One of the causes of speech impairment can also be previous infectious diseases (meningitis, encephalopathy, etc.). Seasonal acute respiratory viral infections, influenza and other upper respiratory tract diseases. Speech may also be impaired due to various types of injuries, bruises, concussions due to falls or accidents. Diagnosed diabetes mellitus can also cause stuttering in children.
False stuttering. This kind of stuttering can be inherited from one of your loved ones. In this case, the child may not have true pathologies. This type of stuttering is especially typical for young children who are at the age of learning speech through copying.
Attempts to retrain a child to be left-handed. Attempts to forcefully teach a left-handed child to write with his right hand can cause severe disturbances in the child’s speech. Children who write with their left hand are quite sensitive and sensitive.
An alarming situation at home. Contemplating conflict situations between family members can negatively affect the child’s nervous system, resulting in speech impairment in the form of stuttering.
Authoritarian parenting. Violation of a child's personal boundaries, physical punishment and intimidation of a child often cause logoneurosis.
Mental fatigue. Tasks beyond the child’s strength, without taking into account the child’s age capabilities, both physical and mental. The predominance of educational activities over gaming. An overabundance of section clubs, a lack of time and free space for the child’s self-organized activities.
·Disturbance of sleep patterns, lack of sleep.

Among the causes of stuttering there are a number of psychosomatic factors that cause stuttering:

· Hysterical type: a sharp change in conditions in a social situation (for example, in the family everyone was allowed to do whatever he wanted, but when he went to kindergarten, the child was faced with prohibitions, restrictions and rules);
Neurasthenic type: humiliation of the child’s personality and characteristics, lack of praise, comparison with other children;
Psychasthenic type: parental overprotection, devaluation and lack of faith in the child that he can cope and succeed, can also lead to reluctance to speak and severe disturbances in the child’s speech.

Games and exercises for voice and pauses

The following complex will help develop the strength and purity of your voice:

Sounds A and M. Inhale through the nose, pronounce sounds as you exhale;
Combination of the sound M with vowels. First inhale, then on one exhale: MA, MO, MU, inhale again and another combination: MI, ME, WE. Repeat several times;
N with vowels. Similar to the previous exercise;
At one exit we pronounce ZZZZZZZZ - NNYNNNYN. In this case, Zh is the chest sound, Z is the middle sound, Hb is the upper facial sound;
"True friend". Let the child imagine that his dog ran away. You need to call three times: once as if from afar, then - a little closer and at the end - very close;
"Fragrance." Let the baby smell the scented handkerchief, and as he exhales say the word “good” - calmly, slowly, syllable by syllable. Then we make it more complicated: we say the phrases “very good”, “smells very tasty”. The same can be done with fruits, flowers and come up with any phrases to pronounce while exhaling;
"Lullaby". Invite your baby to lull a baby doll, a doll, a soft toy and sing first quietly and then loudly “A-a-a-a-a”;
"Hurts". We imagine that the tooth hurts and say “O-o-o-o”, alternating the loud and quiet version;
"Cow". We imitate the moo of an animal, making MMMMMOOOO, varying the strength of the voice.

An always relevant and useful exercise for the development of vocal cords is alternating sounds. While exhaling smoothly after inhaling, we draw out the vowels in any order, for example, “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Symptoms of stuttering in children.

External manifestations of a speech defect may differ depending on the causes and severity of logoneurosis. But in almost all cases there are some common signs:

Hesitations in speech and long pauses between words, syllables and letters.
Speech spasms are clonic, tonic, mixed. The occurrence of clonic seizures is most often observed at the beginning of the formation of logoneurosis. Characterized by repetition of the first letters or syllables in words.
Impaired breathing rate. The breathing patterns of children who stutter are always shallow and intermittent.
Distortion in speech intonation. The presence of spasms and hesitations often lead to intonation disorders in the child’s speech.
Monotonous, inexpressive, unemotional speech.
Cramps and spasms during pronunciation most often occur at the beginning or middle of a word.
Prolonged pauses between sounds in the middle of a word, prolongation of the sound.
Nervous tics when pronouncing.
Sleep disturbances, nocturnal enuresis, disturbances in appetite and digestion.

Associated symptoms of stuttering include:

increased anxiety;
obsessive anxiety;
motor and speech tics;
spasticity of the facial muscles.

The presence of all these manifestations causes avoidant behavior in the child - he tries to avoid situations where it is necessary to speak out.

Expanding your vocal range

The following games for children who stutter help reinforce what they have learned and teach them to vary the intonation and timbre of their voice, which is very important for full speech:

Count from 1 to 10 at different voice pitches;
"Motor ship". To the sound U we pronounce the sound of the whistle of 3 ships: large, small and medium in any order;
Say the phrase “I order you” with different intonations: angry, friendly, indifferent;
2 people participate. One says “I will punish you!” with a gradual increase in timbre, and the second says “No” with a decrease.

Any exercises where you need to select different intonation, volume, speed of speech and its emotional coloring are suitable.

Stuttering correction

The goal of correction for stuttering is to develop a new stereotype of speech production. Comprehensive treatment of stuttering leads to the best results in eliminating this speech defect.

Below we have described the most effective and common methods of treating and correcting stuttering in children.

Massage

Massage is a must for stuttering. Massage is an additional way to correct and treat stuttering. Massage is needed to improve blood circulation in the brain structures that are responsible for the motor reactions of the speech apparatus.

There are several effective massage techniques for stuttering:

Traditional massage

This type of massage is used for certain areas of the body, it is performed by an experienced massage therapist, using certain techniques and techniques depending on the goals and objectives of the massage. This type of massage helps to relax the muscles of the speech apparatus and the muscles adjacent to it. In a person who stutters, hypertonicity of the muscles of the neck and upper shoulder girdle can often be observed. Having achieved relaxation of these zones, the root of the tongue is relaxed and, accordingly, the tone of the muscles of the lower jaw decreases.

A relaxing massage of the head, cervical region, collar area, back, chest and shoulders has a positive effect on articulation.

Probe massage

Probe massage technique is performed using special probes. The massage has a rather harsh effect, therefore it is used in the complex treatment of stuttering in children over 4 years old. Contraindications to the probe massage technique is a tendency to epilepsy and seizures!

Acupressure

Massage relieves excessive excitability and anxiety, helps relax the speech center. Parents can do this type of massage on their own, since the manipulations in this type of massage are very simple. Having mastered the technique of acupressure, you can influence muscles that are in hypertonicity and, by acting on certain segments, achieve relaxation of the tongue and jaw muscles.

Segmental massage

This massage is aimed at directly influencing the muscle responsible for speech. The effectiveness of this type of massage is possible when performed systematically.

Breathing exercises . Breathing exercises are useful for the treatment of any type of stuttering, as well as its prevention at an early age in children. Breathing exercises are a set of special exercises for relaxing and toning the muscles of the speech apparatus. With the help of simple tasks, the child learns to breathe correctly, masters the rhythm and pace of inhalations and exhalations.

Classes with a speech therapist-defectologist

Classes with a speech therapist are an integral part of eliminating stuttering in children. Classes with a speech therapist help:

eliminating disturbances in the tempo and rhythm of speech;
development of motor functions;
development of coordination of words and rhythmic movement;
formation of phonation (speech) breathing;
development of fluency of speech in its various forms;
development of intonation characteristics of speech.

Medicines

Drug treatment of stuttering is necessary for severe clinical symptoms and for stuttering of organic origin. Also, drug treatment is necessary for stuttering resulting from an underlying disease or a long course of stuttering. The purpose of prescribing medications for stuttering:

Reducing the frequency of speech muscle spasms.
Stimulation of the parts of the brain responsible for speech.
Reducing spasticity of the muscles involved in speech activity.
Normalization of emotional state.

Prevention:

Stuttering can be prevented by creating a calm environment. Eliminating factors that can provoke stuttering attacks. Creating a favorable, calm environment. Lack of criticism regarding the child’s speech impediment.

General recommendations for the prevention of logoneurosis in children from 3 to 5 years old

If a speech defect is detected in a child, you should protect him from anything that can cause emotional stress, including prolonged watching of TV.
Play classical, relaxing music for your child - its healing effect has long been recognized even by official medicine. The music of Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg, and Chopin has a particularly beneficial effect on the children's psyche.
You should not rely only on your own strength. Do not hesitate to contact specialists; the faster you can overcome a child’s stuttering, the easier it will be for him to communicate, learn, and explore the world.
Classes with the child should be systematic. You can't take long breaks.
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. Thus, the overstrain of the central parts of speech will be reduced.
Organize proper communication. 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.
Watch your diet. Vegetable and dairy foods should predominate in the diet. You should limit chocolate, sweets, spicy, salty and fried foods.
Prevention of stuttering in neurologically and mentally healthy children is quite simple and consists of good family relationships. Where there are no conflicts, quarrels, and there is love and understanding, the child has much less risk of becoming a stutterer. Curing stuttering is much more difficult than preventing it. A child’s stuttering sometimes manifests itself so that parents understand their own mistakes.
You cannot stop stuttering, you can only help, establish mutual understanding and cooperation with the child. And remember that love and faith in the baby’s abilities creates real miracles that even traditional medicine is not always able to explain. Believe in your child and he will succeed.

How to behave correctly for mothers and fathers of children suffering from stuttering?

Reduce any emotional stress on the child. Protect your baby from listening to loud music, aggressive games, and watching TV for long periods of time.
Get your child used to listening to calm classical music
Play with your baby, read good fairy tales to him, tell him about all the positive emotions you received.
· Monitor your child's rest. Follow the regime. Be sure to take walks, go into nature, do gymnastics
Throughout the treatment of the pathology, it is important to provide the child with a friendly environment. You should not criticize or scold your baby if he still has a defect. On the contrary, it is important to encourage even the fact that the child has started treatment, is interested in it, and is not afraid to attend a speech therapist and other related classes.

Forecast

Stuttering in children usually goes away completely if treatment and recreational therapy is organized correctly. Sometimes relapses may occur during school and puberty.

Of course, overcoming stuttering depends on many conditions, primarily on its mechanisms, on the timing of the onset of complex influence and the completeness of its application, as well as on the age of the child. If stuttering develops due to congenital complications or acquired as a result of previous illnesses, the prognosis is less favorable. In most cases, the prognosis for stuttering is favorable and social adaptation of stutterers is achieved to a fairly high degree.

Games and exercises to develop speech tempo

The following tasks teach children to recognize fast and slow speech and vary their own tempo. We say at different speeds:

vowels in any sequence: a-u-o-i-s;
syllable rows with alternating soft and hard vowels (example: se-sy-su-sa, ze-zyu-zya-zi");
"Tongue Twisters". For example, “The hedgehog has a hedgehog, the grass snake has a bite,” “The heron, standing on the porch, wrote the letter C.”

Children like fairy tales and tongue twisters and lift their spirits. Choose simpler ones at first, gradually increasing complexity.