Stuttering in Children: A Brief Guide for Parents (part 2 of 2)

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How to Help Children Overcome their Condition

As a parent, you have to make life a bit easier for your child and lessen the struggles he or she has to endure while going through the speech disfluency stage. The following are useful tips to help your child cope with the speech problem:

• Refrain from asking your child too many questions. Toddlers will find it easier to speak more clearly when they are allowed to express themselves instead of answering questions often.

• Do not react negatively or scold your child whenever he or she stutters. Making your child feel that you dislike stammering will only make him or her more self conscious. Just listen and show a neutral reaction or simply smile. Also, avoid the urge to complete or correct the sentence for your child. Let him or her express the message without any interruption.

• After your child has completed the sentence, say it again in a slow manner to let him or her know that you understood the message.

• Speak to your child in a moderate pace. This will train your child to speak calmly instead of hurrying to say things. In addition, pay attention to what your child has to say. If you look like you’re in a hurry, your child will tend to speak faster to keep up with you.

• Encourage—but don’t force—your child to talk. That way, the child learns to be confident when speaking. Whenever your child says a complete and correct sentence, praise him or her.

Your child needs your care, understanding, and support to be able to cope with stuttering. Give your child the assurance that you won’t punish him or her for every mistake. That way, it will be easier for the child to outgrow the speech problem.