Research Paper
On Stuttering in School Aged Children
Stuttering or stammering is described as a speech disorder exemplify by
interruptions to speech. These disorders can cause hesitating, repeating of the
sounds or words or even repeating the whole sentence or to delay the speech. The
cause of the stuttering is unknown but researchers believe that stutters do have
some problem with motor control or you an say the movement of muscles required
to speak normally doesn’t work correctly in them. It has also been discovered
that stuttering do pass through generation and so does it involves genetics. The
children who are twins are seen as both stuttering bit it can be more easily
treated in children than in adults and because of this adults often feel
problems in communicating around social environment.
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Stuttering may begin during the age of two to three and it gradually increases
by the passing time and if it doesn’t get treated in the beginning, it makes its
roots deeper and stronger. Here, we will discuss the three phases of stuttering
and their treatments especially focused on the book “Treating the School-Age
Child Who Stutters: A Guide for Clinicians” written by Carl Dell. In this book,
he has described the working of speech-language pathologist with the school age
child. Also, he has included sample dialogues and helpful tools. Carl dell has
been a public school therapist working with the school age children and is
considered to be one of the first stuttering specialists.
Treatment of Borderline Stuttering
Borderline stuttering involves the beginning of stutter and this usually starts
in the very little age of about two or three. It was once also been thought that
parents cause their children to stutter but later on it was found that when a
child starts speaking, he starts to stutter if he has that disability.
According to Carl Dell’s book, here are the guidelines for differentiating a
Stutterer from a no affluent child.
Speech Behaviors Indicating Risk of Becoming a Stutterer
1. Facial tremors caused by excessive tension.
2. Speaks cautiously.
3. Speaks very rapidly, almost compulsively
4. Speaks too loudly or softly.
5. Evidences of struggle and tension while speaking
6. Blocks the airflow etc.
Non-Speech Behavior Indicating Risk of Becoming a Stutterer
1. Shyness looks away especially when he is diffluent
2. Low self-concept
3. Other nervous habits e.g. nail biting, bed-wetting, hyperactivity
4. Poor socialization skills
5. Evidences of depression and sadness
6. Worry.
(Treating the School Age Stutterer Pg. 14)
The treatment in his book reveals the idea that during the therapy, try to use
easy stuttering behaviors. By approaching without difficulty with easy gestures
and without negative emotionality will make the child learn new techniques.
Also, encourage easy bouncing and stretching behaviors. Teach the child that she
or he can stutter without struggle and tension.
Treatment of Mild Stuttering
Mild stuttering can cause the children to frustrate very much or to make then
unconfident that they will not stutter some day. So, it is very necessary to
lead them towards a significant and easy approach so that there stuttering stops
and they start speaking with confidence and with less difficulty. In
Treating the School Age Stutterer: A Guide for Clinicians, following sections
for their treatment is included.
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1. The Outline of Treatment: Gradual but Direct Confrontation
2. The First Confrontation
3. Making Stuttering More Voluntary
4. Exploring the Emotional Nature of A Child
5. Exploring Struggle and Tension
6. Reducing the Severity of Repetitions and Prolongations (How a parent can help
their child with stuttering)
In all these sections, he has described several ways of communicating. Talk with
the child: show your support, by talking to the child in this way; you help him
learn that you are aware of his stuttering and that you accept it and him. Also,
there are other points for the treatment as well, like,
1. …Increase student’s self esteem and self-acceptance
2. Increase student’s control over stuttering events
3. Describe low and relaxed speech.
4. Reduce the frequency of stuttering
5. Transfer and maintenance of learning to the child’s real life. (Treatment of
students with Mild Stuttering)
Treatment of Confirmed Stuttering
Some people believe that confirm stuttering if only found in adults but Carl
Dell doesn’t agree to it. According to his observation, the children who stutter
have speech that is characterized by repetitions that often last for more than
five beats. They can come on different phases of the sentence and they are
frequent. The stutterer shows hesitation and feels ashamed while speaking. He
shows struggle and tension while speaking and this can also result in blocking
of the airflow of his statement and this in return causes the red face and tears
into the eyes and in some cases, the body also jerks around.
…Another child may have very little overt stuttering because he has already
learned how to hide it by postponing or avoiding words on which he feels he may
have trouble (This describes mommy!) Or he may simply back up and start over
like this: "I want the rrr...ah ah ...I want ah ahm...well I ah ant the car the
red car."
The sections in the above for the Confirmed Stutterer Chapter are these:
The Three Ways of Saying Words:
1. The fluent way
2. The hard stuttering way and
3. The easy stuttering way etc (How a parent can help their child with
stuttering)
The treatment first takes of any kind of lack of confidence in the child and
then the practice to say the sentence fluently without taking breaks or
stuttering. The tension and struggle of the child should be finished by relaxing
him and making him unashamed of his disability and make him realize that he too
would speak without stutter some day. Then gradually the speech comes towards
mild stuttering and then with the help of parents and teachers, it stops. There
is bluestone’s treatment method also,
…Announcements about National Stuttering Awareness Week (May 8 –14) caught
Bluestone’s attention. She designed a pilot program to begin this summer in
Seattle, Washington, for stutterers who do not have additional disabling
conditions. The program consists of activities selected to stimulate specific
rhythmic interconnections between areas of the brain in which ideas are
formulated, translated to words, and transferred to speech production. A
significant reduction in stuttering should occur within a few months of
performing a few simple activities both in group sessions and daily at home.
(Promising stuttering treatment)
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Working with Parents and Teachers
Parents should not believe, or be advised, that a child will 'grow out of'
stuttering. This cannot be true in all cases, for if it were there would be no
such thing as stuttering in adulthood! Parents should always seek professional
help from a speech pathologist if their child begins to stutter. The speech
pathologist will determine whether treatment should occur immediately or whether
it is better to wait a while to see if natural recovery occurs. Stuttering
children should always be treated at some time during the preschool years.
(Stuttering)
The child goes through the therapy twice or thrice a week so parents should also
involve themselves to assure maximum progress. Parental communicative style and
feelings of guilt, fear and support may cause strong effect on the child.
Teachers also play a key role in this process. Several parent-clinicians and
teacher-clinicians should be arranged. Also, they should talk to the parents
about their opinion of the problem so that you know whether this is typical
speech behavior for him. In most instances, if parents, teachers, and others
listen to and answer the child in a patient, calm, and unemotional way, the
child's speech returns too normal as his language abilities and his adjustments
to school improve. If the child continues to have disfluencies, however, you may
want to ask a speech pathologist to observe him.
References
Carl Dell, Treating the School Age Stutterer: A Guide for Clinicians. 2000
How a parent can help their child with stuttering. http://www.nathhan.com/stuttering.htm
Treatment of students with Mild Stuttering, (PowerPoint presentation)
www.nsastutter.org\stutinfo.html
How a parent can help their child with stuttering. http://www.nathhan.com/stuttering.htm
Promising stuttering treatment. http://www.handle.org/disordrs/stuttering.html
Stuttering. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/BHCLang.nsf/(Level
Four)/FB420D0A7E34E73D4A256B640083BF63?OpenDocument
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