Stuttering, also referred to as stammering is a type of speech disorder in which the patient suffers from significant and frequent problems with the normal flow and fluency of speech. People who suffer from stuttering have the knowledge of what they want to say but found it difficult to say it.
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What Are the Causes of Stuttering?
The causes of stuttering are still being studied by researchers. Several factors may combine to cause stuttering. Some of the possible causes of stuttering are:
Genetics: Stuttering has a tendency run in the family. Stuttering can occur as a result of genetic abnormalities in the brain’s language centers.
Speech motor control abnormalities: According to some evidence speech motor control abnormalities, including timing, motor and sensory coordination are involved.
Medical abnormalities: Sometimes stuttering may result from other medical conditions such as trauma, stroke or other injury to the brain.
Problems with mental health: In rare cases, stuttering may be caused by emotional trauma.
How to Stop Stuttering Effectively in 3 Ways
What you can do:
1. Relax physically and mentally. Try to relax both your mind and body.
Let your body relax
Release tension from your neck, back and arms. Let your shoulders relax and sink them down.
Before you begin speaking, let your lips buzz for a few seconds.
Shake any tension present in your arms and legs. Twist your whole body.
Let your mind relax
Repeat in your mind: “I am stronger than the stutter and the stutter is not stronger than me!”
Though stuttering may annoy you, it may not cause much trouble to other individuals as it may to you. Tell yourself that it is not a situation of life or death. Keep yourself relaxed by this thought.
Let your attention concentrate inside your mind. Breathing evenly, gently drift your attention to the farthest tips of your body. This may be done as a type of meditation.
2. Sit in front of a mirror and imagine that you are seeing a different person and try to talk freely. Talk about anything-what you are feeling, how was your day, what you had today for dinner-and watch that your stutter has disappeared. Try this exercise of speaking to yourself in the mirror for 30 minutes every day. It may seem weird initially but after hearing yourself without stutter will give you a lot of confidence.
3. Read books loudly. How to stop stuttering? You will improve your charisma and language skills by reading out loud. It may seem hard initially but it will improve your breathing. One of the biggest problems with most of the stutters is not having the knowledge of correct breathing technique while talking or reading.
4. Visualize those words in your mind you are about to say before you actually say them. Though this technique is difficult to master, it is quite helpful. If you can visualize the words before speaking, you make them yours and it will be difficult for you to speak them in a stutter. If you stumble over a specific word, try using a synonym.
5. When you talk, do so in the positive frame of mind. Be optimistic rather than pessimistic before you start talking. Many of the times, the fear that you may stutter while speaking can actually cause stuttering. Instead of having fear of it or expecting that it will happen, visualize your success. This may help you deal with any nervousness in a positive manner.
6. Do breathing exercises to make speech better. A stutterer often has trouble breathing while they stutter. Doing breathing exercises can help drastically to get your speech back to normal. Take a few deep breaths every time before you begin speaking. This will make your breathing easy and help you regulate it. When you are speaking or stuttering, remember to breathe. Persons who stutter quite often forget breathing once they start stuttering. Pause, take a deep breath and then try to speak the word again. This is an important way to answer the question how to stop stuttering.
7. If you are giving a speech, do not stare directly at some person. Try and look at a point situated at the back of the hall or over people’s head. In this way, you may not get nervous and begin stuttering.
8. Try and put some rhythm in your speech. It is noticed that individuals who stutter tend to lose it when they sing. Hence, if you can put some rhythm in your speech you may find that your stuttering has reduced or even vanished.
9. Never give up. Understand that you are bound to make mistakes. Remember that you have to rebound from those mistakes. Moreover, even if some people think badly about you, you don’t have to let those thoughts affect you.
What parents should do and should not do
1. Don’t make your child who stutters feel concerned about his or her stuttering as by doing so you will harm the progress of the child.
2. Do not put your child consciously in social situations that are stressful as doing this can backfire.
3. Do not interrupt the child while he or she is speaking and listen to them patiently.
4. If your child wants to talk about their stutter, discuss the issue with them.
5. If your child visits a speech therapist, discuss with them about when to correct your child gently and when not to.
Professional treatment for stuttering
1. If things turn bad, don’t get afraid to visit a speech therapist. How to stop stuttering? A visit to a speech therapist is recommended in certain cases, especially when the patient suffers from depression or the stutter is becoming a significant source of distress in their lives.
2. Speech therapy may prove beneficial in certain cases. Speech therapy can benefit a child if:
There is a positive family history of stuttering
The stuttering has lasted for greater than 6 months
The child is embarrassed, depressed or emotionally drained due to their stuttering
3. Have an understanding of what speech therapists are doing. Speech therapists provide a series of sessions of vocal training to the patients to reduce the impact of stutter on their communication and not really cure the disruptions.
4. A support group may be recommended by a speech therapist. Hundreds of support groups related to stuttering exist worldwide. By attending a support group a person who stutters may find an opportunity to bond with other patients like himself or herself in an environment that is non-threatening.
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