While the world knows Queen Elizabeth II, his father, King George VI was popular in a unique way: he was a stutterer. His speech problem made him fear public speaking. He never entirely overcame the problem, but he went on to serve the Commonwealth and appear in public engagements.
If your child has a stammer, know it doesn’t end his or her social life. However, it’s important you provide your kid with the right support. Begin by understanding what stuttering means.
What Is a Stutter?
A stutter or stammer refers to a speech condition where a person may be prone to repeating syllables or words. He or she may also have prolonged pauses in between words, and in some cases, no sound comes out. Everyone stutters at least once. It can happen when you’re under a lot of stress such as a difficult job interview or a frightening police interrogation. More than 65 million people, however, are consistent stutterers, and many of them are children.
There are many causes of a stammer, and these include genetics. If you are a stutter yourself or your parents do, there’s a good chance your kids will also develop it. A lack of proper speech training can also lead to stammering, as well as the environment the children are in. If you speak too fast, your child may not be able to cope and thus stutter.
What Can You Do?
The best steps to take depend on how severe the stammer is. Usually, kids outgrow them as they learn to speak more efficiently. If you think they need extra support, you can invest in toys for speech therapy from Speech Tails. Usually, they produce sounds or words kids can follow. They are also programmable with varying speeds so your kids can speak slowly during training.
With consistent support and love, your children will live normal lives and even fully overcome the problem.