T Some tips on dealing with stuttering

he “King’s Speech” movie garnered a few award at the Oscars a few years ago. It also raised social awareness of the human struggles associated with stuttering. Stuttering is a communication disorder involving disruptions in speech. People stutter in different ways. Some repeat syllables while others stretch out sounds. Some days, the stuttering may be more and in some days, less. It is not known why that is so. If you stutter or if you are parent or a family member of a child who stutters, you can intimately relate to the challenges of living a normal life. If your child stutters you may have concerns such as:

•Will my child do well in school?

• How should I handle the reactions of other people?

• Can I afford a therapy?

• Where do I get more information?

•How do I help my child feel good about him or herself ?

The National Stuttering Association is actively helping change the lives of people who stutter and offers answers to the questions above.

It is a non-profit organization dedicated to hope and empowerment to children and adults who stutter as well as their families and professionals through support, education, advocacy, and research. There is not a whole lot known about the cause of stuttering. While some researchers consider stuttering to be a neurological condition that interferes with the production of speech, some research results suggest hereditary tendencies. Stuttering is not a psychological problem or disorder. People who stutter are quite normal. There are no limits to what they can do. According to the NSA, there are approximately 3 million people in the United States who stutters. Stuttering is about three or four times more common in males than females according to reported statistics. Most of them are children. Stuttering typically starts in childhood about age two and a half to five. There are many ways to help your child. Here’s the top seven according to the NSA:

•Learn about stuttering — Getting the facts about stuttering can help you make good decisions for your child.

The NSA has partnered with leading stuttering specialists to provide the most up-to-date information about stuttering research and treatment. The more you know, the more you can help.

• Seek the advice of a specialist — If you are worried about your child’s speech, contact a speech-language pathologist who specializes in the treatment of children who stutters. Do not wait to see if your child will simply outgrow the stuttering.

•Respond to your child’s stuttering in an open, supportive way — Many parents have been told not to draw attention to stuttering, fearing this will make it worse. Today, we know this is not true — talking about stuttering will not make your child stutter more. In fact, it can even help!

• Give yourself a break — Despite what you may have heard, parents do not cause stuttering. Your proactive response is supporting your child’s success.

•Listen to your child — Listen to the message your child is trying to communicate, not the stuttering. You can show your child that you are listening by not finishing sentences, filling words, or giving simplistic advice such as “relax, slowdown, and take a breath.” Encourage your child’s development of healthy communication skills by showing him that what he says is more important than how he says it. Reflect what you have heard back to him so he knows that he is understood.

• Reduce communication demands — As your child develops more advanced speech and language skills, she will experience many demands on her speaking abilities. Reducing the amount of “demand” speech (“tell grandma what you did today”) can decrease the pressures she experiences and help her communicate successfully.

•Model good communication — You provide an important role model for your child’s communication abilities.

You can use a communication style that is rushed, hurried, or intense or you can use an easier, smoother, more relaxed way of talking. Using pauses can help your child learn to speak in a relaxed, unhurried manner. When children experience these easier interactions, they feel less pressure to “keep up.”

According to the experts early intervention is the most effective way to help children overcome their speech difficulty. It is therefore important for parents to recognize it early and seek professional help.

A registered nurse, Dr. Elvie C. Ancheta is administrator of the California Department of Veterans Affairs’ William J. “Pete” Knight Veterans Home in Lancaster.