My child stutters

What is stuttering?

Stuttering is not a developmental delay, on the contrary. Often good students, stutterers tend to err by their desire to do too well… Like Margaux, twenty years old, who has stuttered since she learned to speak and who, according to her mother, “ always wanted to be perfect ».

Stuttering is not a language disorder : different, for example, from dyslexia, it does not interfere with learning to read. It’s a communication disorder. The child has difficulty speaking as soon as he has to speak. But if he’s alone, he usually doesn’t stutter.

Stuttering is not a simple repetition of a word or sound. During the period when the child is learning to speak, such repetitions are very common. But in children who stutter, they are accompanied by a very strong physical and psychological tension.

“Speech accidents” are more or less frequent depending on the time of year and time of day. Thus, little Margot stammered more during the return to school. ” But it is not because the phenomenon is fluctuating that it is not a stuttering », Insists Véronique Boucand-Aumont, Parisian speech therapist who has studied the problem of stuttering at length.

The real stuttering begins with the pain of the child. The latter may well have a somewhat hesitant speech and not care. On the other hand, if he is concerned about his stuttering, he will begin to apprehend each speech. And the more he fears having difficulty expressing himself, the more he stutters. The child then runs the risk of turning in on himself, of running away from exchanges with others and, finally, of building his entire adult personality around this blockage.

Causes of stuttering

The stuttering would not have ONE origin, but several. This is the position currently defended by doctors specializing in stuttering. They consider that each case is special because the factors likely to cause stuttering are multiple and can be combined with each other endlessly.

Stuttering: three types of factors

There are a number of factors that promote the onset of stuttering. The child may encounter various problems: language and speech acquisition disorders, psychological problems, etc. The child’s environment may also be involved: parents who are too demanding, a little too early, on the quality of the child. language or other learning (cleanliness, politeness …), rhythm of activity too intense on a daily basis, rivalries between brothers and sisters, difficulties in socializing at the nursery, at the nursery or at school …

Sometimes stuttering is triggered by a particular event (“The straw that breaks the camel’s back”): moving, birth of a little brother or sister, schooling, emotional trauma (bereavement, for example)…

Subsequently, lstuttering “sets in” if the child begins, without competent help, to struggle to “speak well”… And it often depends on the attitude of those around you. The more anxious the parents, the more the child stutters.

Specialist therapists say stuttering can be detected as soon as the child begins to speak.

Out of 100 adult stutterers, 95 developed this communication disorder during infancy, including 27 before the age of three.

What if my child stutters?

If you have noticed “speech accidents” similar to those described above, do not hesitate to consult! A therapist, yes! But not just any …

If Baby stutters, he It is advisable to consult a speech therapist or a phoniatrist, two specialists in speech and language disorders. The speech therapist is a doctor, the auxiliary medical speech therapist; the two are equally capable of handling stuttering and often work together.

But beware ! Not all are specifically trained to deal with this type of disorder. Indeed, the training courses devoted to stuttering are still very insufficient in French faculties, in particular compared to those provided in the United States.

It is therefore necessary to choose a practitioner who, particularly aware of the problem of stuttering, has chosen to improve himself in this field. You will find lists of competent specialists from the associations of stutterers and specialists, and in particular on the website of the Speech-Stuttering Association.

How much does a visit to the speech therapist cost?

To be reimbursed for your visits to the speech therapist, you must provide a prescription from your doctor or pediatrician, prescribing a “speech therapy assessment with rehabilitation if necessary”. The balance sheet and the sessions are reimbursed at 60% by social security, the mutual insurance company taking care of the rest.

Agreed rates:

The balance sheet: 71,10 euros

The session: 28,44 euros

The rates of phoniatrists vary more, depending on whether or not they apply agreed fees. It is therefore preferable to inquire beforehand about the price of the consultation and the possibilities of being reimbursed.

The whole family (parents, brothers and sisters) is generally invited during the first interview, which lasts between an hour and an hour and a half. The speech therapist begins, of course, by examining the child. He seeks to know, in particular, how his “speech accidents” manifest themselves and whether they are not combined with a delay in language. Most of the consultation, however, will be devoted to an overall discussion. The specialist wants to understand how the family “works”, when the stuttering started, how everyone reacts to this problem…

At the end of this meeting, the speech therapist establishes with the parents a list of dos and don’ts (these are homework “goals”), and indicates a number of changes to be made in the child’s life. Essentially centered on the parents, the treatment is not very complicated.

All advice should also be given to relatives of the child as well as to the school. Sometimes the speech therapist himself explains the situation to the teacher.

Then, he regularly checks in on the child … And if he feels that progress is not being made quickly enough, he continues to provide family support and sees the child alone, in order to teach him to speak in a more relaxed manner. and to do some relaxation games with him.

Once stuttering is taken care of, there is no need to worry: it disappears in almost all children treated before the age of four.

Stuttering in babies: what treatment?

Only the practitioner can provide personalized indications, adapted to the stuttering and the situation of each child. As an example, here are some of the most basic rules that should be followed scrupulously.

Insisting on his difficulty in speaking only increases the child’s confusion. Reproaching him, making him repeat it or advising him to speak quietly is therefore to be avoided. Conversely, acting as if the child’s “speech accidents” do not exist can make him feel that he is not interested in his problems. If he is worried, telling him that we are going to help him will reassure him.

You have to try – and it’s not easy! – to be a good model for him. If you speak quietly and in a relaxed manner, the child will try to imitate you. In addition, so as not to leave him with his “blockage”, help him by giving him the word he misses or by calmly asking him a question (not fifteen!). Finally, give him your undivided attention: look him in the eye when he talks to you and, if you’re busy, ask him to wait until you’re finished rather than pretending to listen.

Regarding the child’s environment, the doctor will most certainly recommend that you reduce the pressure on his fragile shoulders for a few months: you will need, for example, to eliminate some activities or to recover the baby a little earlier at the nursery, relax relations between brothers and sisters and, above all, be a little less demanding on language as well as on other learning.

It is not, of course, to remove all limits … (You would create other tensions by making him a “spoiled child”.) But simply to give him time to grow at his own pace.

Learn more about stuttering

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