Having recently completed a brilliant course from the Michael Palin Centre on stammering I thought it would be appropriate to write a bit about stammering and what to do if you are concerned.
What is stammering?
Fluency is a skill that develops over time and can be a natural part of a child's development with their language skills. If you compare language development to learning to sit or walk a child wobbles a bit to start with and over time they become more stable and strong. The same is true of language development.
Stammering can come and go throughout a child's language development from moment to moment and different in every situation. Children can go through periods of fluency and stammering for no apparent reason.
Why do children stammer?
First off we should make it very clear.
Parents do not cause stammering!
Stammering is cause by differences in the wiring of the developing brain of the child. This does not mean that a child has brain damage, but that their wiring is different. Due to a child's developing brain being very flexible or "plastic" they can resolve over a few years. Some children will inherit the tendency to stammer from other members of their family.
When stammering starts generally the same number of girls and boys stammer, but over time the ratio shifts with 5 times more boys than girls stammer indicating that girls stammers often resolve naturally, where boys generally tend to struggle more.
What can you do if your child stammers?
Here are a few pointers for you to start with:
It is okay to acknowledge a stammer e.g. "that was hard wasn't it", or "that was a bit bumpy!"
Try not to tell your child to calm down or slow down as it may make them become anxious about their stammer. Instead try to do things to make them feel calmer e.g. putting in place a routine which will help them to slow down their pace of life.
Stammering can often become more noticeable when a child is tired. Try to make sure that your child is rested.
Give your child time to speak - try not to interrupt them, even if they are struggling. Wait for them to finish and then answer them as you normally would.
Try modelling slow and unhurried speech - model pauses in your own talking so they can see that it is okay.
Try to give your child 1:1 time with no distractions every day. If you are a busy household, a period of 5 minutes a day of your undivided attention where there is no pressure can make the world of difference.
What do I do if I am concerned?
Try the above strategies for a few weeks. However, if you or your child are concerned or anxious please do not hesitate to get in touch for a free 20 minute telephone call and we can discuss those concerns.
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