Patient's question:
The child has a slight stutter when speaking, for example, when saying "teacher," the word "old" has to be repeated many times to pronounce it. This usually happens when saying the first word. I am very anxious. Next year, the child will start school, and I am afraid that this reason will cause psychological pressure on the child, leading to a sense of inferiority.Doctor's answer:
Is your child stuttering?If your child has difficulty speaking, often hesitating or repeating a syllable or phrase, he may have a speech fluency or stuttering issue. But he may also go through this phase smoothly. Most children experience this during their language development.
Children with normal speech disfluency
Children with normal speech disfluency may occasionally repeat a syllable or word one or two times. For example, they might pause and say "um, um" or use fillers like "ah, uh" intermittently, mostly between the ages of one and five. This is a sign that the child is learning to use language in new ways. If the disfluency disappears for a few weeks and then reappears, the child may be going through another language stage.
Children with mild stuttering
Children with mild stuttering repeat syllables more than twice, such as "um, um, um." Facial muscles, especially around the mouth, may become tense, and exploratory behaviors are more pronounced. The tone may rise with repetitions. Occasionally, these children may experience "blocks," where airflow and sound stop for a few seconds. When talking to your child, use slow, relaxed speech as a model, and encourage others in the household to do the same. But don’t speak too slowly to the point of sounding unnatural. You can set aside time each day to talk with your child and listen to what they want to say. Pausing for a few seconds before answering can help them relax.
If stuttering worsens during this period, don’t get discouraged or frustrated. Your child is working hard to learn new techniques. Your patience and acceptance will greatly help. You can try relaxing the repetition of words or stretching out sounds, which may be the best way to avoid stuttering. When your child feels anxious or upset, offer encouragement like, "I know it can be hard sometimes to speak, but many people do."
Children with more severe stuttering
If your child’s stuttering affects more than 10% of their speech, they may become more tense. They might avoid stuttering by changing sentences or starting to speak with unusual sounds. In this case, it’s important to seek help from a speech therapist.
The advice mentioned earlier also applies to children with severe stuttering. Speaking more slowly yourself is more effective than telling your child to do so. Encourage your child to talk about their stuttering, showing your patience and acceptance. Treating stuttering is more about overcoming the fear of stuttering rather than correcting it.
Does stuttering affect a child’s intellectual development?
Stuttering is a common speech disorder in children, with varying degrees of severity. Between the ages of two and four, children are in a language development phase. Their interest in the world around them is strong, but their language skills are not yet mature, so stuttering is a normal phenomenon. As they grow older, stuttering usually disappears, so it often doesn’t attract parents’ attention. However, stuttering can directly or indirectly affect a child’s intellectual development and lead to negative psychological effects, so it should be taken seriously.
In addition to the physiological factors of language development between the ages of two and four, stuttering may also be caused by imitating others who stutter during this stage, forming a habit. It could also be triggered by significant emotional trauma. Alternatively, it may result from conditions like whooping cough, influenza, measles, scarlet fever, or brain trauma, which reduce the activity of the cerebral cortex and make children prone to excessive tension, leading to stuttering.
Children who stutter often struggle to answer teachers’ questions well in school or communicate effectively with peers. This can lead to ridicule from classmates, putting great mental pressure on them. If children fear being laughed at when speaking, their anxiety can worsen their stuttering. Over time, they may become reluctant to participate in group activities, leading to loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional instability, and anxiety. Severe cases may experience reduced appetite and insomnia, all of which directly affect their learning and social interactions. Due to limited access to knowledge, their intellectual development may be indirectly impacted. In preschoolers, negative emotions alone can affect normal brain development, potentially leading to intellectual impairments.
Correcting stuttering starts with parents
Young children have incomplete pronunciation skills and limited vocabulary, so they often repeat words. This is a normal physiological phenomenon that usually disappears as they grow older. If a child is introverted, struggles with speech, and cannot handle the mental pressure of their surroundings, prolonged stress or excessive focus on their repetition can lead to a fixed habit and stuttering.
However, stuttering is primarily caused by psychological factors, so the key to correction is to address these psychological barriers. This requires parents’ patience and guidance. First, parents should create a relaxed and enjoyable environment for their child to speak. They shouldn’t scold them for mistakes and should encourage them to slow down, speak naturally, and feel at ease. Paying attention to their speech rhythm and tone can also enhance the flow and ease of language, gradually correcting the stutter.
Additional measures include:
① Encourage your child to speak without excessive force, at a lower volume, and with a gentle tone. Help them regain the normal rhythm of speech.
② Slowly and gently guide them to pronounce the first letter of a word, gradually increasing the volume before moving on to the next letter.
③ Cultivate the habit of speaking slowly by having your child recite nursery rhymes or poems daily.
④ Encourage your child to talk more with others, especially about personal experiences that bring them joy, as they are less likely to stutter in these moments.
⑤ Praise your child whenever they show improvement to reinforce their progress. With these measures, the child’s stuttering habit will gradually improve.
Most children who stutter struggle with pronouncing the first letter of a word, often pronouncing it too quickly or forcefully. To help, you can gently start with the initial sound, then combine it with the vowel to form the word, and slowly transition to the next sound. This is a key technique for correcting stuttering, and patience is essential.
Additionally, teach your child not to expect immediate results. Avoid forcing them to memorize poems or articles they don’t understand, and prevent them from imitating stutterers out of curiosity. Avoid both punishment and overindulgence to help them build confidence. These approaches will effectively correct and prevent stuttering.
Under special circumstances, even normal people can stutter. Correcting a child’s stutter doesn’t require perfection—just addressing psychological factors can largely eliminate it, and the correction is considered successful.
Here are some things to keep in mind when talking to your child:
1. Use pauses to make conversations more relaxed. A brief pause before speaking can be more effective than criticism or suggestions (e.g., "slow down" or "try again").
2. Reduce the number of questions you ask. Children tend to speak more freely when expressing their own ideas than when answering questions.
3. When your child stutters, use facial expressions or body language to show that you’re listening to their content, not how they’re saying it.
4. Set aside regular time each day to spend with your child, allowing them to choose what they want to do and lead the conversation. This calm, supportive approach will help them build confidence. Let them know that parents are willing to be their partners. As they grow older, encourage them to share their feelings and experiences when they’re happy.
5. Foster a family habit of learning to talk and listen, especially for children who stutter. They are more likely to speak easily when they aren’t interrupted and feel genuinely heard.
6. Observe how you communicate with your child and reduce criticism, interruptions, questions, and fast speech.
7. These suggestions, whether or not your child stutters, will provide great support and help build their confidence.