How to Stop Your Child’s Stuttering in the New Year

Posted on January 08 2018

How to Stop Your Child's Stuttering in the New Year

Simple stuttering help techniques for parents to try right now.

A new year brings the promise of a new beginning. If your child stutters, that promise may be a commitment to do anything you can to ease their burden and find ways to learn how to stop stuttering once and for all.

If your child has stuttered for a while, the odds are good that you have a speech-language pathologist (SLP) on-hand for help. But that doesn’t mean you can’t offer additional support. Parent-focused speech therapy can make a big difference in your child’s progress. Learning a few simple stuttering help strategies can give your child the added assistance he may need to beat that stuttering problem.

Stuttering Help Techniques for Parents

When it comes to learning how to stop stuttering, parents can help their child apply these simple techniques before, during, or after the stutter:

Relaxation

Getting a stuttering child to relax before speaking is not an easy task. Ask your SLP for exercises to practice to help your child relax the tongue, mouth, and neck during stutter. This technique will help him better control his speech.

Deliberate Repetition

Modifying the tension during a stuttering event can often be done by deliberately repeating the sound. This strategy may seem counterintuitive, but if the child carefully repeats the sound, she is controlling the situation (and the stutter). This method can ease tension, which can make the sound smoother.

Prolonged Syllables

Akin to controlled repetition, prolonging individual syllables can also help to shorten the stutter. This practice gives the brain and mouth time to get in sync, making speech easier.

Timing & Pauses

Another helpful stuttering strategy is timing pauses to stop the stutter from occurring. This skill takes practice, but in time, your child can learn how to naturally give his mouth time to catch up with his brain and make stuttering less noticeable.

Direct Auditory Feedback

One of the most useful tools available to help parents teach their children how to stop stuttering is the use of direct auditory feedback instruments like the CPSIA-certified Toobaloo. This fun and easy-to-use tool allows children to hear what they sound like so they can make instant adjustments to their speech. It's also available in many attractive, bright colors!

To find out more about ways to help your child learn how to stop stuttering in the new year, peruse our ever-growing collection of blog articles geared for parents, teachers, and speech therapists. To shop our kid-friendly speech and reading tools, visit our online store or call 877.819.2541 to talk with our customer service team today.

Learn more about how to stop stuttering using stuttering modification therapy here.