How to cure stuttering in a teenager: effective ways and methods

Causes of stuttering in teenagers

Mostly, the pathology appears in childhood: at 3–4 years. If stuttering is diagnosed in adolescents or an adult, this means that correction was not carried out at the right time or it was inadequate. But there are also cases when pathology appears for the first time in adolescence, and before that speech is normal.

In cases where pathology first appears in adolescents, this happens for several reasons:

genetic predisposition, when there are disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, when exposed to provoking factors they lead to stuttering or other speech disorders;
neurological pathology;
the presence of other speech defects, while the violation may be minor and not interfere with the teenager, but causes fear and spasms;
difficult relationships in family, school, company;
conflicts, stress;
excessive stress on a teenager - both physical and psychological: a complex curriculum, tests, tests, exams;
unfavorable environment - dysfunctional family, lack of attention on the part of parents, their indifference to the child;
the opposite situation is too high demands made by parents, pressure and expectation from him of excellent studies, good results in all areas. At the same time, parents do not take into account the developmental characteristics of their child, his character and abilities;
injuries of the central nervous system - at birth or after;
infectious diseases, intoxications, endocrine disorders that affect the brain, especially if they are severe;
convulsive reactions.

Whatever the cause, stuttering is not just a speech impediment. In most cases, this is a dysfunction of the nervous system with many consequences. Therefore, eliminating stuttering in adolescents is a complex task, in the solution of which several specialists take part: speech therapist-defectologist, neurologist, psychologist or psychiatrist.

Stuttering in adults

Stuttering is more common in childhood and usually goes away with age. However, there are patients in whom it persists or even appears for the first time in adulthood.

Causes of stuttering

Stuttering is a disturbance in the fluency of speech in the form of a delay in pronunciation or repetition of sounds, syllables, or words. Essentially, these are involuntary excessive movements of the muscles involved in the pronunciation of sounds (facial muscles, respiratory and chewing muscles).

It is known that risk factors include male gender and heredity. However, stuttering itself develops as a result of many factors.

Stuttering most often develops in childhood (from 2 to 6 years) and gradually goes away with age - thanks to the “maturation” of the brain and treatment (for example, classes with a speech therapist).

Unfortunately, if stuttering is not treated, it can persist for life, and then it will be difficult for the patient to communicate and live normally. Often a person who stutters tries to speak less and withdraws. In addition, self-doubt, anxiety and even depression may increase over time.

The mechanism of development and types of stuttering

In adults, as in children, there are two main mechanisms for the development of this pathology. Stuttering that developed due to a stressful event

, called
logoneurosis
. It is usually combined with anxiety, sleep disturbances and other manifestations of neurosis.

General recommendations for the treatment of stuttering in adolescents

Parents' actions should begin with consultation with a specialist. The speech therapist will examine the medical history, speech characteristics, and ask about past illnesses, injuries, and possible causes that led to the disorder.

Self-medication on the advice of friends, without an in-person examination by a specialist, is unacceptable. This can make the situation even worse.

After the examination, the speech therapist refers the patient for consultation with specialists:

a neurologist conducts a study to identify abnormalities in the nervous system. For this, skull radiography, electroencephalography, rheoencephalography, MRI, CT are used;
the otorhinolaryngologist excludes diseases of the ENT organs that may affect speech;
psychologist works with personality disorders.

If necessary, other doctors also work with the teenager: an endocrinologist, a psychiatrist.

After a complete diagnosis, the speech therapist selects treatment tactics for stuttering in adolescents. In mild cases, when stuttering occurs sporadically, in moments of emotional stress, it is enough to do the exercises yourself. Difficult situations when the defect is constantly present and interferes with normal life, medicinal treatment methods, massage, physiotherapeutic methods, and even hypnosis are used.

Typically, therapy is long-term: it may take more than one year to cope with the problem. An important condition is continuity of treatment: complete one course, rest a little, and start the next course. Follow all recommendations of the speech therapist. If you don't care about a teenager's speech impediment, he will follow your example and won't try.

Remember: only the joint efforts of the speech therapist, parents and the child himself will help achieve results.

Even after recovery, you should be on your guard: under unfavorable conditions, stuttering in adolescents can recur. Therefore, it is very important to eliminate all risk factors: avoid stress, reduce stress at school, create a favorable atmosphere at home.

Stuttering, stuttering treatment, stuttering in children

Sarklinik provides treatment for stuttering in children and adults in Saratov. Treatment is carried out in courses. The minimum duration of one course of treatment is 10 working days.

Photo: Baguas | Dreamstime.com\Dreamstock.ru. The people depicted in the photo are models, do not suffer from the diseases described and/or all similarities are excluded.

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Breathing exercises

When a teenager stutters, a spasm occurs in the muscles involved in articulation. The type of breathing is thoracic, which means superficial. Therefore, eliminating stuttering in adolescents begins with developing deep diaphragmatic breathing.

After classes, the diaphragm develops and the ligaments become more mobile so that the child begins to use breathing correctly in the process of speech formation, and maintain the pace of inhalation and exhalation. Hesitations associated with lack of air disappear, which means that fear goes away and the teenager becomes more relaxed.

There are many breathing exercises techniques, the most effective and popular is the method of A. N. Strelnikova. The technique is based on rhythmic breathing movements overcoming the resistance of the diaphragm.

The technique is as follows: the child takes a sharp breath, while making some movement, using the diaphragm muscles. After a series of breaths, he exhales calmly, then a new series of breaths. And so several repetitions.

As an example, here are a few exercises:

“Palms” - the teenager stands or sits, arms along the body. During several successive sharp breaths, he should clench his fists rhythmically: and so on 8 times. Then exhale and a new series of breaths;
“Pump” - legs apart, arms along the body. During inhalation, the child should bend forward, arms hanging down, back rounded. Exit - returns to the starting position;
“Hug your shoulders” - arms in front of you and bent at the elbows, palms facing down, forearms on top of each other. When inhaling, you need to hug yourself by the shoulders, while your arms form a triangle.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies can be effective in eliminating stuttering in adolescents. But they cannot replace other correction methods: drug therapy, physiotherapy, massage, classes with a speech therapist and psychologist. Therefore, be sure to consult with your doctor before starting treatment. Moreover, some products have contraindications - only a specialist will tell you all the nuances.

The most commonly used means are:

inside - oregano, lavender flowers, drupes, linden blossom;
externally (baths) - with rosemary, peony.

Logorhythmics

Treatment of stuttering in adolescents using logorhythmics is aimed at improving speech rhythms and creating smooth, expressive speech. Exercises affect breathing, movement, sensory and speech motor areas. Also, such activities have a positive effect on the emotional and volitional qualities of the patient, making him more active.

During classes, the child makes movements, while rhythmically pronouncing some sounds.

For classes you need music - at different tempos (fast, moderate, accelerated, slow, rapid), which helps the child quickly switch from one type of movement to another. You also need speech material - tongue twisters, rhythmic sentences.

An example program could be like this:

introductory exercises - walking for the ability to control movements, the ability to walk at different paces;
chanting to develop speech breathing, coordinating singing with hand movements;
singing and its coordination with walking - aimed at developing rhythmic hearing, attention, understanding of the character and tempo of music;
exercises for coordinating melodic speech with movements - the child learns to control his muscles;
listening to music, exercises to stimulate musical memory;
game exercises to develop emotionality and stimulate imaginative thinking;
final exercise of a calm nature.

Or you can pronounce tongue twisters: first short ones (within 2 weeks), gradually choosing more complex and longer ones, with sounds and words that are difficult to pronounce.

Causes of stuttering

The physiological reason for the repetition of sounds in speech is muscle spasm during articulatory movements.
Modern science lists among the causes of stuttering trauma or fright during the period of active speech development, previous brain diseases, head injuries, as well as neurotic disorders. The latter cause anxiety when speaking and fear of public speaking in adults. Often patients have mental characteristics that aggravate the problem: shyness, rich imagination, excessive impressionability, fear of speaking in front of specific people or a large audience.

Massage

Massage eliminates the excitability of speech centers and restores speech regulation. To eliminate stuttering in adolescents, acupressure, probe or segmental massage is used. The specialist influences:

neck area;
upper shoulder girdle area;
facial muscles;
muscles of the lips, tongue;
larynx area.

The massage therapist massages the listed areas one by one. First it smoothes them, then taps them (vibration), stretches the skin and muscles. Each area has its own set of movements. Massage of the tongue and lips can be carried out using special probes. They act precisely, stimulating certain points.

The effect can be noticeable after the first procedure: muscles relax, spasm is eliminated, speech becomes smooth, without hesitation or pauses. To consolidate the result, a full course of 10–12 sessions is required. After a short rest, the duration of which is determined individually, a repeat course begins.

Ask a speech therapist to teach you self-massage techniques. By performing massage yourself as an addition to the main course of treatment, you can achieve greater results.

Other therapies

As we have already said, the greatest result will be when using several correction methods. In addition to the above, the treatment package for stuttering in adolescents includes:

Drug therapy - the doctor selects the drug individually. These can be nootropics, sedatives, vitamin complexes, immunostimulants. It is advisable to use them simultaneously with other treatment methods;
Classes with a speech therapist help to form correct articulation and breathing;
Classes with a psychologist (group, individual) instill self-control skills, help get rid of psychological problems, overcome complexes, and adequately treat your problem: do not focus on it, but also do not pretend that everything is normal. This will help a teenager with a stutter feel more confident and equal to his peers. He acquires psychological stability, which of course will help him in later life;
Physiotherapeutic procedures help relieve muscle spasms and increase blood circulation;
Acupuncture involves influencing reflexogenic points. The specialist installs special needles on points that are associated with speech function;

Treatment is usually outpatient. In complex cases, for example, neurological pathology, treatment of stuttering in adolescents is carried out in an inpatient setting. When parents have the opportunity, sanatorium treatment is recommended.

Many parents wonder how to quickly get rid of stuttering for a teenager? Experts recommend various relaxation methods: it is different for each person. Meditation, hippotherapy (treatment with horses), art therapy (treatment with drawing) - offer these methods to your child. Perhaps he will like something and develop into his hobby.

Either way, be there for your child. Adolescence is a difficult period for him. With your support it will be easier for him to cope with his problems.

Correction and treatment of logoneurosis

The diagnosis of Logoneurosis is usually made in childhood or adolescence. If your child develops logoneurosis, treatment must be started immediately. Having discovered speech defects in a child, parents should show him to competent specialists. When stuttering, doctors mainly prescribe the use of medications. The use of medications alone without psychotherapy does not lead to the expected result, because full speech correction is possible only with classes with a speech therapist and psychologist. Also, you should not self-medicate, but rather consult a specialist, as the problem can worsen.

Specialists at the Ember Center correct logoneurosis in children without prescribing medications. Specially developed techniques are used to help children and adults get rid of stuttering forever. Activities carried out by specialists before the start of classes:

Examination of the client and finding out the cause of the speech defect.
Determination of the necessary correction program.
Assignment of regular classes with gradual complication.

Parents play an important role in the correction of logoneurosis in children. Their task:

Organize the child’s daily routine with daytime and full night sleep.
Limit viewing of cartoons and access to the computer. Restriction reduces overexertion of brain activity.
Organize correct, slow and calm communication, clearly pronounce words when talking with a child. Say difficult words repeatedly with him.
Protect your child's speech. Read familiar books, do not memorize poems, do not ask to retell fairy tales until the stuttering has completely passed.
Choose quiet games: modeling, construction, drawing. During the game, the child needs to pronounce the actions being performed.

It is more difficult to treat an adult than a child, since the child’s psyche and speech are more plastic, children have a higher potential for compensating for defects. With adults, correction of logoneurosis is more difficult and takes longer. But if the client wishes and exercises regularly, logoneurosis in adults is also eliminated. To correct logoneurosis, the client must strictly follow the recommendations prescribed by the specialist. In some cases, you will need to remain silent for several days and perform special exercises.