Patient's question:
My son is six years old and has had a stutter for over a month. The first word can be repeated several times, and sometimes it also repeats in the middle. When he talks to himself, he stutters not at all. In these days, I have been slowly correcting him, telling him to speak slower and think before speaking. But I found that his stutter has become worse than before. What should I do now? I'm desperate.Doctor's answer:
Children with stuttering often begin to show signs when they are first learning to speak, but this does not necessarily mean they are born with the condition. A child's language development comes from imitating adults. Children are exposed to a wealth of sensory stimuli every day, and it is not always possible for them to express everything accurately in words. A child's initial language abilities often do not keep pace with their psychological and intellectual development, resulting in delayed language skills. During oral expression, they may frequently pause, repeat, stumble over words, or reverse their order—this is what is known as "stuttering."When parents face a child with stuttering, they should avoid hitting, scolding, or overreacting. Instead, they can take the following measures, focusing on prevention. If the child is imitating people around them who stutter, and if circumstances allow, it may be beneficial to remove them from that environment. The influence of the environment should not be underestimated; it is a direct trigger for the child's stuttering.