Stuttering is a very common situation that affects many children from early childhood. This is a kind of speech disorder that is like the repetition of sounds, syllables or words. This is also like the prolongation of sounds or interruptions while talking.
Many preschoolers experience stuttering which not only affects their speech and communication ability but also affects their confidence at a very tender age. In various studies, it is shown that stuttering is one of the common speech disorders in children in Dubai.
In this blog, we will discuss some of the effective treatments shared by our experienced speech and language therapists from Dubai for stuttering for preschoolers.
Let’s first understand the red flags that indicate your child needs extra attention with stuttering.
Stuttering, if not taken care of at the beginning, may become a serious problem. Parents or caretakers must seek assistance from a speech therapist or speech-language pathologist in case-
- You have a family member who stammers
- You see your kid starts to experience stuttering at around 3 years
- The persistence of stuttering sustains longer than 6 months
- You have a made kid
- And, you see because of the stuttering, your child’s language skill is delayed
Let’s talk about the various approaches other than speech-language therapy to treat stuttering in preschoolers
The Slowed-Down Speech Technique
This is a simple technique you can try at home. This is where you talk to your preschooler (2-6 years) in a slow manner consciously. You can slow down your speech while adding more pauses in natural places. This pause should be a bit longer than you normally do. Remember to slow down your speech at the very beginning of the sentences. Because most children stammer while starting a sentence. You can reflect your child’s sentences in a more relaxed, easy and slow way.
The outcome: First, it models a smoother and more fluent way of speaking to your child and second, it builds more time in conversation to make the child feel less rushed while speaking.
The Reduced Demand Technique
Talking effortlessly in front of a child who stutters makes the situation difficult. That’s why parents should emphasize a lighter speaking approach. They should have one-on-one alone time with the kid. You need to let them lead and talk. Do not finish the sentences for the kid even if it takes longer for them. It is like you are trying to help them finish the sentences but this will become a habit.
You can make some comments instead of asking questions. And when it comes to asking questions, ask them open-ended questions, such as did you like the food? Did your friend come to the school?
Leave a brief pause during the conversation. When you are about to answer anything, take a pause and then respond. Every time your kid says something, make him/her feel that what he/she has said is more important.
Syllable-Timed Speech Technique
Many studies have found that this technique when practiced every day can decrease stuttering by 96%. You can start this technique by looking at a picture with your child and talking about everything you both see. As you both initiate a conversation, you need to break your words into syllables and you should say one syllable at a time. For instance, if you are about to pronounce the word syllables you need to break it like- syll/a/bles.
This may sound like a robot speech but this is really helpful.
Direct Approaches to Treatment for Stuttering
Direct approaches are required when preschoolers are aware of their stuttering and show discontent with speech disfluency. Speech therapists come here to the rescue. They need to opt for direct approaches when they find that the children begin showing secondary behaviors of stuttering such as quivering of lips, rapid blinking, or nodding of the head.
An SLP can collaborate with the parents and devise a customized treatment plan that is designed to address the unique needs of the child.
Bottom Line
Don’t wait until your child finds it extremely difficult to cope with stuttering. Take an early step today!
Reach out to our renowned speech therapy clinic in Dubai for a one-of-a-kind speech therapy approach.
