CHILDREN’S HEALTH: LEARNING ABOUT SPEECH PROBLEMS AND STUTTERING
Signs and symptoms
Any marked delay in a child’s achieving speech or an impairment of speech raises the suspicion of a speech or hearing problem.
Home care
If your baby is to learn to speak adequately, he or she must be spoken to and listened to. Incorrect speech should be corrected, but a child should not be scolded, deliberately ignored, or forced to practice speaking. Stuttering in children aged two to five years old can be disregarded unless it is still a problem several months after its onset. It should not provoke anger or anxiety, suggestions that the child speak more slowly or more clearly, or laughter and taunts from brothers and sisters. Stuttering warrants professional attention if it is severe, constant, or prolonged.
Precautions
• If your child’s speech does not develop more or less in accordance with the timetable above, consult your doctor.
• Do not refuse to understand your child or try to force him or her to speak more clearly.
• Do not call the child’s attention to stuttering.
• Read, sing, and speak to your child whenever possible.
• Notice if your child speaks only in a monotone or with a marked nasal quality, or if the vocabulary and ability to pronounce words are diminishing instead of improving.
Medical treatment
Your doctor will perform a complete physical examination, checking the child’s throat, palate, and tongue, and testing the child’s hearing. If your child is under the age of five you may be referred to a speech pathologist for evaluation and treatment if: stuttering is severe, constant, or unduly prolonged; the child seems to be severely frustrated in his or her efforts to speak clearly; or you need assistance in handling your child’s development of speech. If your child substitutes sounds or stutters after the age of five or six, your doctor may suggest he or she be seen by a speech specialist.
*196/84/5*
