Speech is a medium to express thoughts, ideas, and views and is an important part of one’s personality. Stammering results in diminishing self confidence of an individual. Stammering and stuttering are one of the big issues which if not corrected at the right age can cause serious problems. This will affect ones speech impacting their overall personality, such individuals are very shy to speak in public and this usually have an effect on their professional life.
It is the responsibility of each and every parent to make sure that his or her child is not suffering from this problem. If so, nowadays there are many precautionary and preventive measures available in medicine or otherwise for stammering treatment. Stammering is no more a hindrance which any child should be shy of. There are various home remedies which can minimize this problem to a great extent.
1. Healthy and Relaxing Environment
Your child should get ample opportunities to speak and articulate the thoughts. Parents should provide a healthy and relaxing environment and an interactive atmosphere where they can get ample time to express their feelings without any distractions.
2. Be Patient and Polite
Parents should never let their child feel shy of stammering as this may cause your child to lose his/her self confidence for ever. One should be very polite and patient with their children while they are speaking and should never let them feel that they are stammering. Give sufficient time to let your child complete the sentence and never interrupt by jumping in to complete the word or the phrase on your child’s behalf.
3. Avoid Criticism
One should give proper time and attention to their children and let them express their views and thoughts and avoid getting indulged into any kind of criticism, interruption or questioning with their child.
4. Be Optimistic
Be motivational to your child by showing positive expressions and body language. Convey your acceptance by ignoring their stammering and focusing on their message rather than pointing on their stammering habit.
5. Look for Speech Patterns
Study your Childs speech behavior and look for specific patterns to observe improvements or identify stagnant problems. Take help of speech –language pathologist who can guide you on speech patterns and keep track of improvement progress.
6. Talk Slowly with your Child
Parents should talk very slowly, softly, and calmly with their child, this will help them put extra efforts to improve on their stammering habit. You are their best mentor and in the end children will learn from.
7. Be a Good Listener
Each family member should take turns talking to their child and listen to them very carefully and patiently. Once should avoid asking too many questions and should be crisp and clear while communicating to their child.
8. Avoid Negligence
Parents should pay extra attention to their child while he/she is speaking. Child should never feel neglected at any point of time. Best way here is to maintain an eye contact while talking to your child.
9. Ask your child to read loudly
Make your child read their text books, news paper paragraph or magazines loudly ever day. This will help them to improve delivering their speech in a prompt manner. Make this as a daily habit asking your child especially to read out words and phrases they find difficult to pronounce. Your child doesn’t need to think and then talk while reading.
10. Deep Breathing Exercise
Deep breathing exercise is a very good technique to improve the speaking pattern. Ask your child to take deep breathes before speaking which will allow him/her sufficient time to think on their speech and will release stress while speaking out words.
11. Encourage Socializing
Give your child ample opportunity to socialize with his friends by inviting them to your house. This will allow your child to speak in public and boost his self confidence.
12. Avoid Hiding Stammering
Encourage your child not to hide his stammering habit in public, however guide him to always complete his/her sentences while conversing in a group and never avoid communication. This will help to let others know that he has self esteem and is not a looser and always tries to improve himself. Social acceptance is very important which can only be attained by interacting in public.
13. Yoga and Meditation
Meditation and Yoga are other powerful remedies which can help overcome stammering. With the strength and positive energy which these practices provides one can get better control over the speech.
Out of 45 million people in world with stammering disorder atleast 20% are from India. Though there are many remedies to overcome stammering problem, however, parental support, their love, affection and care are the best tonic to fade away from this disorder. Today there are many treatments like medications, counseling, hypnosis and speech therapy which helps treating such disorder. As parents you need to increase your awareness about this disorder and its remedies helping your children make their life better.
