I am a doctor! But it so happened that my son stutters. That is why I want to tell you about some methods of treating stuttering! Let's talk about the reasons first:
Causes of stuttering
I will say right away that the causes of stuttering are still unknown to science. There are only theories that to some extent explain this defect, but none of them have received widespread acceptance.
Some experts believe that stuttering is a communication problem, since it most often intensifies when a person communicates with other people, and, conversely, is absent when a person is alone. But this opinion is not correct. In fact, the problem is not in the wrong psychology of communication, but in the tone of the speech center.
Nowadays, scientists are more inclined to believe that the causes of stuttering are hidden in the human brain. After all, it is in the brain that the nerve centers responsible for speech are located. It is easiest to provoke stuttering in children under 5 years old, it is during this period that speech centers are just beginning to form in the brain, and synchronization occurs between them. As a result of a “failure,” the speech centers do not work synchronously, and the person begins to stutter.
Another similar theory claims that stutterers hear their own speech with a slight delay. Either way, scientists continue to work on this problem.
Types of stuttering
Today, scientists distinguish three main types of stuttering.
The first type is typical for people with a nervous system defect. There are plenty of reasons for such stuttering. This could be a birth injury, frequent illnesses in the first years of life, or a hereditary predisposition. When examined by a neurologist, such a child will have various abnormalities (up to signs of increased intracranial pressure), although outwardly the baby will look quite healthy.
The second type of stuttering was found in people whose dominant hand is the right, but whose dominant eye is the left. That is, at the time when the child learned to draw and write (at about 5-7 years old), he was retrained to be right-handed. Moreover, retraining most often occurs due to the fact that the child learns by repeating after adults. In the future, it will be difficult for parents to understand the reason for their child's stuttering, since the defect, as in the first case, will develop gradually. This type of stuttering occurs in more than 60% of people with such a speech defect.
The third type of stuttering is typical for 10% of stutterers. It manifests itself in children with an initially healthy nervous system. They acquire their disease as a result of severe fatigue and stress. The reasons for the appearance of stuttering are very diverse: the child is upset because of the illness of a relative, overworked at school, scared by the neighbor's dog. Adults may find such things stupid and not at all frightening, but they can easily traumatize an impressionable and nervous child. Most often, the speech defect of such people intensifies with neuropsychological excitement. That is why it is so difficult for them to speak in public.
Treatment of stuttering
Traditional Method of Treating Stuttering
The traditional method of treating stuttering is based on the use of breathing exercises. It is not for nothing that a person who sings never experiences problems with speech. His voice is free and natural.
One of the most famous programs related to the traditional method is "Strelnikova's Breathing Exercises". When doing these exercises, you may feel like you are doing morning exercises. As an example, we will give two exercises that are considered the most effective in combating stuttering.
Exercise "Pump".
Starting position: stand up straight, arms down. Bend forward slightly, towards the floor, rounding your back, as shown in the first picture. Your head and arms should be down, and your neck relaxed.
Take a quick, noisy breath in at the end of the bow, as if you were sniffing the floor. Raise yourself up, but do not straighten up completely. At the same time, do a passive exhalation through your nose or mouth.
Bend over again, taking a quick, noisy breath, and so on. This exercise is like pumping up a tire. It should be done lightly, without putting strain on the lower back.
Take 8 breaths in a row, then rest for 5 seconds. And again 8 breaths. The norm is 12 approaches of 8 breaths. I understand the desire of many to get rid of such a problem as stuttering. But still, do not rush to do this amount on the first day. The load should be increased gradually.
Exercise "Head turns".
Starting position: stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart. For convenience, you can place your hands at your sides.
Turn your head to the left and take a quick, noisy breath. Then turn your head to the right – take another breath. Exhale in the interval when the head turns from the left shoulder to the right. But there is no need to stop in the middle.
During the exercise, do not strain your neck, your arms and torso should remain motionless.
To begin with, it will be enough to take 8 breaths. When you feel confident, you can increase the number of approaches. But do not forget to take short breaks between them. The norm is 3 approaches of 32 breaths.
These and other exercises of this complex have a beneficial effect on the entire human respiratory system. It teaches the patient to breathe deeply, with all the lungs, trains the diaphragm, forcing it to actively participate in voice formation, makes the vocal cords as mobile as possible, which allows them to close tightly during a conversation.
Do the exercises for 15-20 minutes in the morning before breakfast and the same amount in the evening after dinner. You will notice the first results after 2-3 months. You will notice changes: breathing will become freer and your voice will become natural.
Relaxation is also a traditional method of treating stuttering. But we do not recommend using this method as an independent method. You will achieve the greatest results by using relaxation in combination with other more effective methods.
An unconventional method of treating stuttering
Even in ancient times, people noticed the connection between internal organs and points on the human body. Acupressure helped in the fight against many ailments. This alternative medicine is still successfully used today.
Acupressure is a complex and lengthy process, so immediately prepare yourself for a long treatment, designed for several courses. One course consists of 15 procedures. The interval between the first two courses is two weeks, between the second and third - about six months. The next two to three years, the courses are repeated with the same interval. If you start to stumble again, you can start the next course earlier.
First, you need to find the right point. Press the pad of your finger on the supposed point. If the patient feels some pain and aches, you have done everything correctly. But keep in mind that such feelings should not arise during the massage itself.
Make circular movements with the pad of your thumb or index finger, gradually pressing on the point. Change the pressure from weak to strong and vice versa. Continue massaging one point for 3-5 minutes. During the massage, the person should be completely relaxed.
Unfortunately, I can't insert a scan from a book that has a drawing of dots, but you can find something like this on the Internet))
The massaged points are mostly located on the face and back, as well as on the legs and chest of a person, so we advise you to find an assistant or become one for your child. If you are not confident in yourself, I strongly recommend entrusting this matter to a specialist.
The first results can be obtained after the first course: everything depends on the patient's age and the form of stuttering. But you should not stop there. Acupressure restores the nervous regulation of speech, so classes should be held regularly if you do not want to return to stuttering.
Hypnosis is another unconventional way to combat stuttering. But I do not advise you to use it on your own, as it can be dangerous to your health.
I will say honestly the above mentioned methods do not give a big effect, but still it is there. I downloaded the trial version of the program and I really liked the method of treatment, I want to note that my son reads more smoothly with the program than without it and I believe in his recovery. But still the trial version unfortunately ended(((