How to stop stuttering when speaking: causes and treatment of stuttering

Hello!

If you find yourself on this page, it means that you (or your loved one) are suffering from, in my opinion, one of the most terrible illnesses - stuttering. A person who has never encountered this illness cannot understand why I consider it “the most terrible,” but anyone who stutters will understand this. Stuttering is very offensive, shameful, inconvenient, unfair... and the worst thing is powerlessness and complete lack of understanding why you stutter, because nothing hurts, all parts of the body, organs are out of place.. WHY do I stutter?

Today I, as a person who has dealt with stuttering myself, will answer the main questions of any stutterer: is it possible to cure stuttering, what methods of treating stuttering exist.

How does stuttering manifest itself and what is it?

People who stutter have an irregular speech rhythm. Instead of a smooth, measured flow, it stumbles, gets stuck on individual sounds and words, which creates painful psycho-emotional tension from a person’s inability to speak out.

In this case, the coordinated work of the articulatory apparatus, breathing and voice is disrupted.

Convulsive muscle movements, a grimace on a reddened face and swollen veins in the neck, ragged breathing and a tense voice - this is what stuttering looks like.

In speech therapy, stuttering is a speech disorder expressed in repetition or prolonged pronunciation of sounds and syllables; or speech whose rhythm is disrupted by frequent stops and hesitation in pronunciation.

If stuttering has neurotic roots, then it is logoneurosis.

Are there any other reasons other than “nerves”? Eat.

Clinical forms

Stuttering can occur in a neurosis-like or neurotic form. Moreover, each of them has its own reasons for development.

• Neurosis-like stuttering. This speech defect often occurs as a result of a pronounced mental disorder with loss of control over articulation and motor impairment. A child with this form of stuttering usually lags behind his peers in development. Such abnormalities are detected during MRI.
• Stuttering of a neurotic nature. This form of speech disorder includes social and psychological reasons. Neurotic stuttering cannot be caused by physical disorders in the brain, postpartum or birth injuries. With this form of the disease, a person is easier to cure than with neurosis-like stuttering. This problem is most often dealt with by a psychologist.

People with neurotic stuttering are fearful, touchy, silent and withdrawn. They invent fears for themselves that prevent them from living normally; they are worried and irritated all the time. They have no deviations in physical development.

Causes of stuttering and prerequisites for its development

Why is it that in the same situation, say, with a strong fright, some people begin to stutter, while others avoid this problem? Why do people stutter? The causes of the disease are many and very individual.

You can start stuttering:

• in childhood from 2.5 to 5-6 years, when the child begins to speak and is very actively involved in this process, experiencing information overload;
• with increased emotionality, vulnerability, impressionability, when a person is overly receptive and sensitive to manifestations of the outside world;
• at an early age, if the child grows up in a dysfunctional family, witnessing conflict situations and aggressive fights between parents;
• as a teenager, when emotions run high;
• due to genetic predisposition;
• at any age, if there are other speech disorders associated with brain damage;
• in the presence of diseases of the central nervous system, for example, a tendency to seizures and tics.

Stuttering occurs less frequently in adults than in children. In adulthood, a person begins to stutter, usually as a result of psycho-emotional trauma.

Correction methods

Stuttering, like other diseases, is easier to correct in the early stages. In some cases, it is possible to get rid of this speech disorder in just a few weeks. But most often it takes much longer.

As mentioned above, treatment should begin with a visit to a neurologist. The doctor will conduct an examination, the purpose of which will be to identify the causes of speech dysfunction. If stuttering is caused by a malfunction of the central or peripheral nervous system, then the patient will be prescribed adequate drug treatment. In addition, the following specialists will treat stuttering:

• reflexologist. To eliminate stuttering, it is important to get rid of muscle tension localized in the shoulder girdle, neck and abdomen;
• psychotherapist. Modern psychotherapeutic techniques will help to identify the psychological causes of the problem and eliminate them. As a result, you can not only normalize speech, but also completely change your life for the better. Become more confident in your own abilities, learn to get out of difficult life situations, improve relationships with people around you, etc.;
• speech therapist. Special speech therapy exercises will allow you to develop correct speech breathing, learn to pronounce sounds, control the speed of speech and its tempo.

Comprehensive treatment and constant work on yourself will allow you to achieve lasting results in the shortest possible time.

It should be remembered that a one-time visit to a speech therapist will not help. You should also not count on the fact that the doctor will give you a “miracle pill” and your stuttering will disappear. This speech disorder will only go away if the stutterer strictly follows the recommendations of all specialists throughout the course of treatment.

Diagnosis of stuttering in children and adults

The main symptoms of the disease are the same at any age. These are hesitations that disrupt the smooth flow of speech: repetitions, protracted sounds, stops on the initial syllable. The process is accompanied by involuntary contraction of the facial muscles, tension in the arms, and an irregular breathing rhythm. Fear, anxiety, worry are the emotions that accompany stuttering.

It should be noted that at the age of 2-5 years, when a child is just learning to speak, repeated repetition of words, increased emotionality in the absence of any tension and speech that is not at all fluent is normal.

Stuttering in adults is more complex and is accompanied by anxiety, rapid heartbeat, a feeling of suffocation, and chaotic movements. Panic in crowded places, withdrawal from communication, difficult adaptation in society - all this only emphasizes the seriousness of the problem of stuttering and forces you to look for ways to overcome it in order to stop stuttering forever.

Which doctor treats stuttering?

Treatment of stuttering in adults and children gives positive results with an integrated approach with the participation of the following specialists:

1. A speech therapist will help the articulation apparatus work harmoniously, correct incorrect pronunciation of sounds, and teach you to speak smoothly and correctly.

2. The psychotherapist will track the moment of the onset of the disease, teach you how to cope with excitement, anxiety, and restlessness in order to stop stuttering. If necessary, he will conduct a hypnosis session.

How to treat stuttering and is it curable?

Modern methods of overcoming stuttering are based on a combination of correctional and therapeutic work. When developing rehabilitation measures, the form and type of the disease and individual characteristics in each specific case are taken into account.

In the neurotic form, the main emphasis is on stabilizing a person’s emotional sphere and reducing the excitability of the nervous system. This includes drug treatment for stuttering in the form of tablets, and various psychotherapeutic techniques, for example, hypnosis, autogenic training. Against this background, classes with a speech therapist are more effective in eliminating stuttering.

In case of a neurosis-like form with organic brain damage, medications are prescribed - antispasmodics and tranquilizers, and long-term corrective work is carried out to restore mental processes.

Therapeutic and recreational activities that heal the nervous system and include:

• maintaining a daily routine with sufficient time for rest, absence of physical and nervous overload, and adequate sleep;
• organization of healthy nutrition;
• creating a favorable external environment means a well-appointed room and a friendly environment - everything that contributes to a cheerful mood;
• hardening in the form of walks in the fresh air, sports activities, water treatments;
• physical therapy with physical exercises and rhythmic exercises to music;
• conversations with a psychologist, when the word heals - it clarifies, convinces, teaches, inspires, changes the view of oneself as a person, helps to adapt to the social environment.

Musical and rhythmic exercises are very effective for stuttering. This includes dancing, tapping a beat, singing, and reading poetry with appropriate movements. During such classes, coordination of movements has a beneficial effect on the fluency of speech, thanks to music, the emotional state improves, and most importantly, strength of spirit and self-confidence are born.

Is stuttering treatable in adults? Everything is individual and the answer to this question cannot be unambiguous. The earlier the disease is detected and treatment is started, the more favorable the prognosis for the treatment of logoneurosis. But even in advanced cases, the methods described above will move the process from a dead point towards positive dynamics. You just need to not give up, but make an effort and believe in success.

It is possible to cure stuttering in children in 70% of cases - this is what statistics say.

It is necessary to instill in a child confidence in his abilities, a desire to achieve his goals, and the ability to defend his point of view. This will help eliminate complexes and fears, improve his mental state and prevent him from falling into the risk group for a disease such as logoneurosis.

Diagnostic measures

At the initial stage of diagnosis, you should seek help from your local physician. After examination and questioning, he will refer the patient to other specialists, depending on the causes of stuttering. Most often, neurologists, speech therapists, psychologists and psychotherapists treat pathology. Diagnostic steps include the following approaches:

1. Collection of complaints and medical history. It is important to find out the time of appearance of clinical signs, the situations with which the patient himself associates their occurrence, as well as what methods the patients tried to be treated before the current request for medical help. It is recommended, if possible, to talk with the patient's close relatives or parents.
2. Examination and testing: speech therapy tasks, psychological tests to determine the level of intelligence, assessment of neurological status, writing and reading tests, etc.
3. Additional research methods: clinical and biochemical blood tests, PCR diagnostics to search for neuroinfections, electroencephalography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.
4. Consultation with a psychotherapist in case of logoneurosis. The specialist needs to find out the provoking factors, teach the patient to react to stress and his disorder.
5. Consultation with a speech therapist. He draws up an individual rehabilitation treatment plan and selects a speech therapy correction program.

Determining the immediate cause of stuttering allows doctors to select effective therapy to relieve the patient of the disease. It is worth paying attention that you should not engage in self-diagnosis or treatment, as this is fraught with the progression of the speech defect.

How to get rid of stuttering as an adult yourself

If you feel strong enough to get rid of stuttering once and for all at home and stop stuttering when nervous, try traditional medicine and take into account a few effective tips:

1. Herbs such as valerian, St. John's wort, mint, lemon balm, chamomile, motherwort will calm the nervous system and have a strengthening effect on the psyche.
2. Aromatherapy with bergamot, orange, patchouli, lavender oils as part of a massage cream or in an aroma lamp will help you fight stuttering as an additional method.
3. Sing. While singing, the functioning of the speech apparatus eliminates stuttering. Don't you know how? Sing for yourself, feel the freedom of self-expression and don’t judge yourself.
4. Breathing exercises, coupled with your other actions, will help eliminate stuttering - smooth speech is impossible without measured breathing.
5. Keep a diary, or choose an activity where you can express your thoughts not verbally, not in conversation, but in writing, in a calm environment conducive to reflection. By mentally pronouncing words and sentences, you will not stumble.
6. Limit the flow of information if possible, give your head a rest, and be more creative. Meditation, yoga, massage, travel are very useful.

Prevalence

About 1% of adults, regardless of ethnicity, have stuttering of varying severity. Some great people had this speech defect: Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Winston Churchill, etc.

Mostly men suffer, which is due to the development of their nervous system. They are approximately 4-5 times more likely to be diagnosed with this problem. Stuttering often develops in patients with epilepsy, people with cerebral palsy and other neurological syndromes.

If a child stutters - recommendations

If a child in your family begins to stutter, help him by following these tips:

1. Talk to him slowly, almost syllable by syllable, calmly pronouncing the words.
2. Do not pull back or interrupt your child if he is excitedly trying to tell you something. Holding his hands will help him calm down and continue speaking at a normal pace.
3. Read good fairy tales, retell them, discuss the plots, ask and answer questions. In a home environment with close, loving people, it will be psychologically easier for the child to cope with the problem.
4. Be careful about his feelings. If he doesn't feel comfortable talking in a certain situation, don't force him.
5. Create a calm, friendly atmosphere at home. It is unacceptable to tease, imitate stuttering, or be dismissive.
6. Teach your child to work conscientiously and not miss speech correction classes in order to stop stuttering.

Why are we afraid of public speaking?

The anxiety before performing on stage can be different, but we feel the same state, which is extremely difficult to overcome: our hands and knees are shaking, our mouth is dry, our voice sounds as if from the outside, the audience turns into one frightening mass. To understand why fear controls us so much and how we can cope with it, let’s find out its causes.

Perhaps the first and most underestimated cause of fear of public speaking begins in childhood. The first time a young child speaks loudly in a public place, the parent will silence him. Subsequently, this will be the explanation of why a person has a phobia of expressing thoughts loudly in front of an audience.

When the voice is suppressed, it leads to anxiety, and ultimately to fear. Of course, school teachers who belittle abilities and classmates who can hurt feelings without thinking about the consequences will not forget to add fuel to the fire. These moments are the causes of social phobias, including those that provoke fear of public speaking.

The second reason why fearless public speaking eludes us has to do with the psychological component of fear. Fear used to be synonymous with the word danger. I felt cold - I tried to warm up faster, went to the edge of the abyss - I was afraid of heights and walked away. Under the influence of everyday stress: work, study, economic and political changes in society, the instinct of self-preservation has undergone changes. As a result, we begin to worry in unjustified situations, including before performing on stage. The reasons that awaken this fear in us are the following:

• Fear of people as such due to low social activity.
• Fear of saying something stupid or slipping up.
• Constantly telling yourself that the listeners are negatively disposed towards you and will closely evaluate your performance.

Another reason is not having the information necessary for the presentation. And the last one is agoraphobia or fear of crowds. Unlike the fear of people described above, this fear is deeper, and people do not even realize that they are afraid of large crowds of people and suffer from this type of phobia.