Many of my clients express concern when their children demonstrate disfluencies during their speech development. More often than not, the disfluency is due to a phenomenon known as "Limited Capacity". When a child has more to say than he or she is developmentally capable of, frequently a stutter will occur. "Limited Capacity" disfluiencies occur when a child is developing language, usually between the ages of 2 - 5.
When working with parents who are concerned about their child's fluency, I recommend the following strategies:
- Provide an environment without communicative stresses that allows many opportunities for the child to speak.
- Parents should not react negatively during stuttering events.
- Parents should praise and respond positively to fluent moments.
- Keep communicative demands low, and do not pressure the child to verbally perform.
- Implement relaxation exercises, including controlled breathing exercises.
- Do not complete your child's sentences, rather listen patiently to him/her as s/he speaks.
If your child's disfluency continues through an extended period of time, consult with a certified Speech Language Pathologist. A qualified SLP has the tools and the experience to assess the situation and teach strategies that will support fluent speech.
SNAKES GO /s/
It is no easy task to become a bubble blowing, Play Doh snake rolling Speech-Language Pathologist! The requirements that must be met to earn a license to practice Speech Language Pathology in the State of New York are stringent and challenging. Additionally, to receive ASHA certification there are another set of criteria which must be met! This is all on top of an extremely rigorous and thorough graduate school curriculum that requires many hours of difficult course work and clinical training.
The professional responsibility of a Speech Language Pathologist is to improve the quality of life of an individual by optimizing their ability to communicate and swallow. According to The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, a Speech-Language Pathologist's role includes addressing "typical and atypical communication and swallowing." Areas addressed include speech sound production, resonance, voice, fluency, language (comprehension and expression), cognition, and feeding and swallowing. Causes for atypical functioning could be many, from genetic disorders and neurological impairments to neonatal problems and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Specific Language Impairment.
Speech-Language Pathologists work with people of all ages, from Early Intervention (0 - 3 years old) to older folk. While many SLP's choose to specialize in a particular age group, they all receive clinical and academic training in the treatment of adult, adolescent and childhood communication and swallowing impairments. Like choosing any other health care professional, make sure you are comfortable with the SLP you choose. Please consider cultural and language factors, as well as other issues that are important to you. The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association has a database of practicing SLP's who have received their Certification of Clinical Competency. This is a handy resource that will help you find an SLP in your area.
