A child can get ‘stuck’ on certain sounds or words, and may repeat them while speaking, leading to dysfluent speech. Fluency disorders are speech disorders, stuttering being the most prevalent. Fluent speech is smooth, easy and flowing. Dysfluent or stuttered speech is effortful and halting and is defined according to a specified criteria. Stuttering is associated with various types of abnormal motor behaviors such as muscular tension, breathing abnormalities, negative emotions and avoidance behaviors. We can teach strategies and techniques to help children improve their fluency and have the confidence to speak in front of others.
Stammering, Stuttering and Dysfluency
SYMPTOMS
Children who stutter may exhibit the following difficulties:
- Repeat words more than once in a sentence
- Produce sounds for a longer time than normal
- Silent prolongations and pauses for a long duration
- Add many extra sounds, words or phrases while speaking
- Produce broken words and incomplete sentences
HOW WE CAN HELP
- The treatment approach is individualized and based on the child’s needs. Goals of treatment may be to eliminate, reduce or help children manage their stuttering, and not develop negative emotional reactions related to their stuttering.
- At Q Enrichment Center, our Speech, Language and Swallowing Pathologist will conduct an extensive comprehensive assessment to determine the type of difficulty, the severity, as well as the diagnosis related to the speech difficulties. A detailed report will be completed along with a treatment plan specific to each individual’s needs.