Stuttering in children

Stuttering in children is a speech defect that manifests itself in repeated repetitions or prolongations of sounds, syllables or whole words, in constant stuttering or indecision in speech, which causes its rhythmic flow to break.

The content of the article:
Types of stuttering in children
Factors that provoke stuttering in children
Comparison of neurotic and neurosis-like forms of stuttering in children
Signs of stuttering in children
Diagnosis of stuttering in children
Elimination of stuttering in children
Prognosis and prevention of stuttering in children
Stuttering in children
The cause of this pathology is muscle cramps of the speech apparatus. Usually, stuttering begins to manifest in children at the age of 2-5 at a time when there is an active development and formation of speech skills. Sometimes this condition occurs suddenly and worsens in the future.

Often small children pronounce words normally, but repeat them several times, for example: “Give, give, give me a candy.” But sometimes the child repeats not whole words, but only sounds, for example: “D-d-d-give me a candy.” In medicine, it is believed that the reproduction of one sound 2 times or more indicates the first signs of stuttering.

According to statistics, stuttering is observed in 2-3% of children around the world. Moreover, pathology occurs 4 times more often in boys. Experts explain this by the fact that the psyche of girls is more stable.

Stuttering usually increases during school and during puberty. It negatively affects the adaptation of the child in society, reduces his self-esteem.

Stuttering manifests itself in different ways. So, in some children, it manifests itself in the frequent repetition of syllables or sounds, and in others — in a sudden stop of speech. Such children often have sounds or parasitic words in their conversations, for example, “Uh-uh”, “M-m-m”. With their help, the child tries to hide the stuttering.

Some children begin to stutter only in moments of great excitement or during stress. In this case, in a favorable environment, they seem to forget about their problem. While when speaking in public or in conversation with strangers, they can constantly stutter.

Types of stuttering in children
In childhood , 2 types of pathology can manifest themselves:

neurotic stuttering (logoneurosis);
neurosis-like stuttering in children.
Causes and treatment, diagnosis and prevention — all this in both cases is handled by a speech therapist. In the first variant, stuttering often occurs as a result of mild residual effects of brain damage. It may appear after a mental trauma that occurred unexpectedly (fright, sudden change of residence, separation from parents) or that was for a long time (violations of the rules of child rearing, constant quarrels in the family). Logoneurosis is often combined with violent movements. It manifests itself impermanently. It is usually accompanied by other neurotic disorders (phobias, enuresis, sleep disorders, irritability). It takes some time for neurosis-like stuttering to develop. Usually it is a consequence of organic damage to the central nervous system and has nothing to do with mental trauma. Such a violation is characterized by convulsive speech, often accompanied with tic-like violent contractions of various parts of the body. With neurosis-like stuttering, a speech disorder always manifests itself. Such children, during performances or communication, as a rule, do not experience fear.

According to the nature of the course , the disorder is divided into 3 types:

undulating — stuttering, which may increase or decrease at different periods of life, but never completely disappears;
recurrent — stuttering, which alternates with speech well-being;
constant — stuttering with a relatively constant nature of the flow.
Factors that provoke stuttering in children
Stuttering in children is provoked by 2 factors.

Genetic predisposition to various brain diseases. It is available in children whose relatives suffer from diseases of the central nervous system, including if the baby’s parents stuttered in childhood, while the pathology has not disappeared over time. Stuttering is quite common among children who had brain development disorders in the embryonic period. Predisposing factors to the development of the disease are infection of the fetus and injuries received during childbirth or carrying a baby, prematurity, constant oxygen starvation of the fetus. The tendency to stutter is influenced by the temperament of the child, as well as his ability to adapt to environmental conditions. Children who quickly adapt to various changes are less susceptible to the disease. Choleric people are more prone to stuttering, especially at times when they quarrel or argue.
External influence. These include:
damage to the central nervous system by various infections (inflammation of the brain or its shell);
traumatic brain injuries;
brain lesions caused by trophic diseases (impaired glucose tolerance);
immaturity of the brain. Both hemispheres of the brain are most actively formed at the age of 5. Until then, speech should develop gradually, without jerks. In boys, the formation of the central nervous system begins later than in girls. For this reason, they often have speech defects. Up to 5 years old, a child may have an iteration, which is characterized by the repetition of words and syllables. This condition is a variant of the norm and disappears on its own without treatment;
the presence of foci of infection in the respiratory system and the auditory canal;
diseases that negatively affect the protective properties of the body (frequent colds, the presence of parasites in the intestines, metabolic disorders);
concomitant conditions (urinary incontinence, sleep disorders, fatigue, phobias);
psychological trauma (fright, prolonged stress);
violations of the rules of child rearing (spoilt, fulfilling all the whims of the child);
incorrect speech development (too fast and illegible speech).
In some cases, stuttering is not a disease, but an attempt to become like an adult. If one parent stutters, then the child can copy it. In this case, the pathology can be formed in 2 ways: the child either involuntarily stutters during communication with his parents (he talks normally to other people) or in an imitative form (in this form he stutters when talking to any person).

Comparison of neurotic and neurosis-like forms of stuttering in children
Neurotic stuttering in children happens as a result of mental trauma, so the disease occurs almost suddenly. With such a stutter, parents can say with accuracy when and why the child developed pathology. Such stuttering usually appears in 2-6 years, when there is already a detailed phrasal speech.

In such children, speech activity decreases due to the fact that they are afraid to talk. They are fixed on complex sounds. In this case, respiratory and vocal convulsions may be observed. They have a disorder of sound pronunciation, but at the same time they develop normally in the lexical and grammatical sphere. During the conversation, these children’s nose wings expand. In this form, stuttering has a wave-like character, that is, speech deteriorates significantly during stress.

Neurosis-like stuttering develops gradually as a result of damage to the central nervous system. Such stuttering is not associated with any events, so parents often cannot find the causes of the disorder. Neurosis-like stuttering begins to manifest itself in 3-4 years, at the time of the formation of phrasal speech.

Children suffering from this form of stuttering are sociable and active, are not afraid of their disorder. Stuttering in this case occurs due to articulatory seizures. Such children talk monotonously, quickly and expressionlessly. With neurosis-like stuttering, there are also violations in the lexico-grammatical side of speech. There is often a violation of general motor skills, so children may be unnecessarily constrained or clumsy. They have weak facial expressions, illegible handwriting. Children suffering from neurosis-like stuttering often have learning problems. This type of stuttering has a stable course, exacerbations can occur infrequently — mainly with overwork and heavy speech loads. During neurological studies, lesions of the central nervous system are detected, during EEG — high convulsive readiness.

Signs of stuttering in children
It is important to detect stuttering in children at the initial stages. As a rule, the disease begins with frequent repetitions of words. During this period, the child has hypertonicity of the muscles of the face and neck. He does not want to talk, and if he speaks, he has fluctuations in the volume of his voice.

The symptoms of stuttering can vary greatly depending on which clinical form of the disease is present in the child.

Thus, in the neurotic form, the pathology of speech occurs suddenly. It usually occurs in 2-6 years as a result of psychological trauma. At first, the baby is constantly silent, and when he begins to pronounce words again, he pronounces them with a stutter. Such a child may have sleep disorders, he gets irritated by little things, and by the age of 11 he withdraws into himself, as he realizes his defect.

The first symptoms of a neurosis-like form of stuttering appear in 3-4 years. The child always stutters and eventually begins to use meaningless words and sounds (“well”, “uh”). Such children are hyperactive, but they get tired quickly, they often have a headache, and memory is reduced.

Sometimes, along with stuttering in children, involuntary muscle contractions in different parts of the body may occur during a conversation. These reflex movements appear as if to improve pronunciation, but, in fact, on the contrary — they only complicate the situation and create the impression of uncertainty.

Diagnosis of stuttering in children
When detecting the first symptoms of a child’s stuttering, you should immediately show it to a doctor. If this pathology is suspected, examinations should be carried out by specialists such as a neurologist, pediatrician, speech therapist and psychiatrist. In some cases, you may need to consult a child psychologist. An important role in the diagnosis and identification of the causes of the disease is played by the child’s anamnesis, information about how development occurs, information about when, how and under what circumstances he began to stutter.

In order to identify the stage of the disease and the causes of stuttering in children, it will be necessary to conduct a speech diagnosis, which includes an assessment of the pace of speech, voice and breathing. During the study, the doctor will identify speech and motor disorders, if any, determine what kind of articulatory seizures the patient suffers from, with what frequency they occur.

To detect pathologies of the central nervous system, you may need:

examination of cerebral vessels by rheographic method;
EEG;
MRI.
Elimination of stuttering in children
The treatment of stuttering in children is carried out by a speech therapist. If pathologies have caused convulsions in the muscles of the articulatory apparatus or diseases of the nervous system, you may need the help of a neurologist. If stuttering occurs after a traumatic situation, you may need to work with a psychologist.

The essence of the treatment of this pathology is to restore the functions of the speech circle, including inhibition of the Broca’s center. In the correction of stuttering, drug therapy, hypnosis, acupuncture, various relaxing procedures, performing special exercises are used. In some cases, it may be necessary to use anti-stuttering devices and special computer programs.

Medical treatment of stuttering includes taking anticonvulsants, anti-anxiety, sedatives and various homeopathic medications. In some cases, neurometabolic stimulants may be used. However, this method of treatment can only be used for children over 3 years old.

Thanks to hypnosis, the doctor will be able to identify the true causes of the violation. Improvement of the condition can be achieved even after 1 procedure. For the residual elimination of pathology, 10-15 sessions may be required. In this way, stuttering in adolescents is eliminated. The method is not used for the therapy of young children.

You can treat stuttering with acupressure. Thanks to it, the regulation of speech is significantly improved. During the massage, the doctor applies a relaxing method of influence. During the session, the specialist presses on special points and performs circular movements.

Respiratory gymnastics has shown good results in the treatment of stuttering. The essence of the method is to normalize breathing, prolongation of inspiration. Thanks to this, the child will be able to learn to stock up on air before saying anything. This method of treatment is used for children over 4 years old.

In addition, logorhythmics can be used to correct pathology. The essence of this method is to use the connectedness of the word with melody and movements. Thanks to logorhythmics, the child will be able to correct speech defects, reveal his talents and improve self-esteem. The method is used for the treatment of children up to 7 years and older.

To eliminate stuttering, the doctor may recommend the use of anti-stuttering devices. Some devices help the child to hear the remark he utters with a little smearing, others drown out the voice with noises, and others reproduce the corrected version of speech. Devices that lower or raise the volume of the voice are considered the most effective in this case.

Prognosis and prevention of stuttering in children
Without an examination, it is difficult to determine the prognosis of the disease. This is due to the fact that various factors can lead to stuttering, but not everyone, unfortunately, can be easily eliminated. The prognosis of stuttering largely depends on the form of the disease and the age of the patient. Usually, it is easier for children who started to treat stuttering at an early age to get rid of the pathology. In children with congenital pathologies of the speech apparatus, the prognosis is not so favorable. The prognosis also depends on the type of stuttering. So respiratory seizures are easier to cure than tonic ones. The best effect in treatment can be achieved at the age of 3-5 years. Already at the age of 12-17, the disorder is difficult to correct. There are cases when, due to a psychological factor, a child has a relapse of the disease.

To avoid stuttering, you need to realize that healthy children grow up with non-conflicting parents. Do not tell scary stories to a child at night and do not let him watch scary cartoons, do not scare him and do not leave him alone in dark rooms. Love your baby and communicate with him more, don’t be too strict and demanding, protect him from mental trauma. Calm children who have enough parental love and care almost never face this disease.

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