Prevent Stuttering

Treatment for children comes in two formats.  The first one is called indirect therapy.  This type of therapy keys in on changing the environment in which the child has become accustomed to.  This helps the child a chance to develop a fluent speech pattern. 

Parents should also be involved in this as they will be counseled in regard to this type of therapy.  They will be advised on what kinds of behaviors have to be changed in order for the child to maintain fluent speech. 

They may have to work on decreasing or trying to eliminate stressful situations in the household.  They may also have to work on not putting a demand on the child as far as their speech is concerned.  Their speech rate may have to be changed as well.  All of this will help the child develop a fluent speech pattern.

The second form of treatment focuses on developing fluent speech in a child.  This technique is called direct therapy.  This type of therapy allows a child to have skills they can use in order to improve a fluent speech pattern.  When they have made improvements, the gratitude is sometimes shown in the form of a verbal response.

Speech Therapy

It is ultimately the parent’s decision as to whether or not they want their child to have speech therapy.  Some parents are apprehensive about taking their child because they feel it will do more harm than good.  They feel that the more they known about their stuttering, the more of an adverse affect it will have on them. 

In addition to that, studies seem to show that the majority of children who stutter can outgrow it without speech therapy.  On the other hand, if the child has been stuttering for a lengthy amount of time, then they may not outgrow it.  In fact, it may just get worse for them.  Parents have to weigh out what they feel is best for their child. 

There are some speech-language pathologists that will suggest that a child get speech therapy if they stutter consistently between 6 – 12 months after the initial observance. 

With speech therapy, some children can get rid of stuttering altogether.  Then there are those that use techniques to help them decrease their stuttering.  Other children learn to speak in an easier fashion and don’t feel the tension that they used to feel when they would speak in front of other people. 

One of the most important things about children having speech therapy is that they will gain more confidence when they speak in front of others.  They will not be afraid to speak, even if a little stuttering comes out.   

Speech therapy for a child is an important milestone for them.  When a parent has decided on that, they need to find out what else they need to do in order to make this work for the child.  When signing them up for speech therapy, there are few things parents should keep in mind:

• Selecting the right speech-language pathologist for the child
• Duration of treatment
• Cost of treatment
• Setting goals for success
• Measurement of success

Teen/Adult Goals For Speech Therapy

When a teen or adult decides to get speech therapy, they have to realize that they will have to change their speech patterns and behaviors.  They will also have to come to grips with emotions as far as how they react to situations regarding their speech disorder.  They must also change their mindset about not wanting to speak in public and learning to communicate with others. 

Here are some things that could be included as goals to achieve for speech therapy:

• Reduction of stuttering frequency
• Dealing with less tension and less struggling when speaking/stuttering
• Less time spent on avoiding speaking words or phrases
• Improved communication with other people and maintain eye contact;
• Decide on short-term and/or long-term goals

Expect The Best

There have been many people that said for some reason, speech therapy did not work for them.  Maybe they didn’t exactly have the desired outcome.  Or it was just an overall unpleasant experience where the patient and the speech-language pathologist didn’t connect. 

It might be time to try another professional that patients can share a common bond with.  A professional that is knowledgeable and compassionate about helping people overcome their stuttering can go a long way.  They can help teens and adults make positive strides in their life to overcome their speech disorder. 

Patients have to also do their part, by doing what is asked of them.  Whatever techniques are presented during the sessions should not only be implemented there, but also practicing them at home.  This will help the patient become more fluent in their speech and become a more effective communicator.  Not only that, they will also gain more self-confidence and self worth.