Is it possible to completely cure stuttering?

Stuttering is a disturbance in the rhythm and fluency of speech that occurs against the background of muscle convulsive syndrome. At the same time, natural breathing, pitch and strength of sound change. Both children and adults are susceptible to the disease. In children, pathology occurs much more often and, mainly, in the age range of 2-5 years. This can be explained by the active formation of phrasal speech during this period, which can be disrupted under the influence of certain factors (stress, mental disorders, etc.).

Causes and mechanism of development of the disease

Many people associate the appearance of such a disease with a reaction to fear and psychological trauma. But this is not so, because stuttering does not always appear after a strong fright, and it is not always accompanied by stuttering of speech. The reason for the occurrence of speech disorders is considered to be a hereditary predisposition. In other words, the disease may be congenital, and a certain predisposing factor only triggers it.

The mechanism of development of pathology is quite complex. During changes in the nervous processes of the brain, the process of transmission of nerve impulses, including those that go to the department responsible for speech reproduction, is also disrupted. In this case, a convulsive syndrome occurs in the speech apparatus (in the larynx, pharynx, etc.), causing early activation of some components and later activation of others. The pace and smoothness of speech movements is disrupted due to tight closing and opening of the vocal cords. Speech becomes slurred.

One of the reasons for the development of the disease is a weakening of the nervous system due to the development of infectious pathology or during exacerbation of a chronic disease. This may be a complication after the development of diseases such as measles, meningitis, scarlet fever, encephalitis, or rheumatism, pneumonia, etc.

Psychosomatics has a certain significance. The development of logoneurosis occurs due to the following psychological problems:

1. A person is not able to express his desires, he is afraid to do so, and experiences anxiety. As a rule, this comes from childhood, when parents inspire the child that he is not able to achieve something and prevent the child from expressing his opinion. Due to the suppression of energy, its normal release does not occur, which causes speech impairment.
2. A person is not able to defend his rights. Most children believe that their parents are the authority, and they are afraid to argue with them, prove something and defend their point of view. If parents abuse this right, this results in fear in the child, nervous tension, which will lead to the development of logoneurosis.
3. A person constantly feels that he is wrong. This also applies to parents when they constantly refute any words, free opinions, desires of their child, criticize the child’s actions, suppress impulses. Parents believe that this is a normal way to raise a child, but this is wrong and often results in neurological diseases.

So, we can highlight the most common causes of the development of the disease in childhood and adolescence:

• increased tone and convulsions in the motor endings of the speech center in the brain;
• acute and chronic stress that the child has suffered or is suffering;
• hereditary prerequisites for the development of the disease (if a close relative in a child’s family suffers from such a pathology, the risk of developing stuttering is increased for him as well);
• perinatal damage to the central nervous system;
• the body's tendency to have seizures;
• pathologies occurring in the brain;
• brain injury;
• stuttering as a consequence of an infectious or endocrine disease;
• delayed psychomotor development or vice versa – early development of the speech apparatus;
• the bad habit of constantly imitating a stuttering child, which subsequently develops into a permanent defect;
• insufficient attention from parents.

Among the factors provoking congenital pathology are systematic overwork, colds, and violation of the work and rest regime.

Stuttering in adult women and men most often develops against the background of severe nervous tension. Among the adult population, only 1% suffer from the disease.

Stuttering - symptoms and treatment

Stuttering is a disease in which a person cannot control or “smooth out” convulsively disrupted speech with his volitional qualities of character, which is why he repeats or prolongs words, syllables, phrases [1][21].

This pathological speech is characterized not only by repetition or prolongation of pronounced sounds, syllables, words, but also by frequent stops that interrupt the uniform flow of speech. Speech tics (frequent repetition of filler words, prolonging sounds like “uh-uh”) and speech excitedly have nothing to do with stuttering [1][14][17][24][37].

Stuttering affects people of all ages. It most often occurs in children between 2 and 6 years of age as they develop their language skills. According to world scientific literature, about 2.5% of preschool children stutter [36][37].

Among adults, stuttering affects 0.73% of people, affecting more than 70 million people worldwide. And in a recent study, American scientists found that out of 135 adults, approximately one person stutters [34][36][37].

Boys stutter 2-3 times more often than girls. With age, this gender difference only increases: there are already 3-4 times more boys who continue to stutter than girls with the same problems. Men also stutter more often than women (four times).

Approximately 5 to 10% of children stutter within a few weeks to several years. However, 75% of children recover from stuttering, and the remaining 25% may continue to stutter throughout their lives [2][12][24][28][30][32][34].

The earlier stuttering begins, the more likely it is that it will be short-lived [1]. Thus, a child who begins to stutter before the age of 3.5 years is less likely to stutter in later life.

The causes of stuttering are divided into two groups:

• Predisposing causes are associated with genetics or pathological processes that occurred in infancy. It is almost impossible to influence them.
• Provoking reasons - they can be influenced by both the stutterer himself and his environment by changing lifestyle, education, healthy eating, hardening, creating a psychologically comfortable environment, etc. [27].

Predisposing causes of stuttering:

• Heredity - a neuropathic genetic burden in first-degree relatives (parents, brothers, sisters, children) who had such “hypertrophied” character traits as the need for the approval and affection of everyone around them, night terrors, mistrust, fixation on one’s own experiences, intolerance of criticism , self-doubt, etc. [6][15].
• Neurotic characteristics of a stutterer (night and daytime fears, daytime or nighttime urinary incontinence, increased impulsivity, emotional incontinence).
• Hereditary burden of subcortical insufficiency, i.e. hereditary diseases that are associated with disruption of the brain parts involved in the coordination of motor activity (thalamic Dejerine-Roussy syndrome, hypothalamic syndrome, Parkinson's disease, increased postural (static) reflexes, pallidal tremor, hypotonic -hyperkinetic syndrome, hemiballismus).
• Pathology that developed in a child in the womb or immediately after birth (hypoxia, ischemia and intraventricular hemorrhages).
• Somatoneurological diseases with encephalopathic consequences (lack of oxygen to the fetus, infection during pregnancy; Rh-conflict and conflict according to the ABO system; suffocation of the newborn; trauma during childbirth; congenital heart disease; consequences of traumatic brain injuries; intoxication with ethyl alcohol, lead, chloroform, drugs and bacterial toxins - diphtheria, tetanus).
• Weakening or exhaustion of the nervous system’s ability to compensate for disturbances as a result of infectious and somatic diseases, as well as in the presence of difficulties in social adaptation [5][6][7][8][9][15].

Provoking causes of stuttering:

• a one-time traumatic situation (fright, fear, etc.);
• communication with the child in the family in two or more languages;
• fast rate of speech (tachylalia);
• incorrect pronunciation of sounds, letters, phrases;
• imitation of others who have speech pathology.

Currently, many studies are being conducted to study the prevalence of stuttering in bilingual families. For example, one study found that children who speak English and another language have an increased risk of stuttering and a lower chance of stuttering than monolingual children. Another study, although methodologically weak, found relatively indistinguishable rates of monolingual and bilingual stutterers [28]. Due to this amount of conflicting evidence, the relationship between bilingualism and stuttering has been called “mysterious” [35].

Unfavorable conditions include:

• “weakness” of the child due to immunodeficiency, somatic and neurological disease;
• age-related characteristics of brain activity (increased convulsive readiness, etc.);
• accelerated development of speech with a fast pace and loss of fluency and intelligibility;
• increased reactivity of mental processes due to “wrong” relationships with loved ones, social maladjustment, partial or complete loss of the ability to adapt to the conditions of society;
• lack of communication with positive-minded people;
• lack of dynamics in the development of fine and gross motor skills and a sense of rhythm [16][33].

How it manifests itself

Stuttering causes a variety of symptoms. The main one is a violation of respiratory function due to a disorder of resistance in the articulation area. This causes inspiratory vowel or proto sounds produced by the patient.

Tension of the vocal receptors causes a convulsive closure of the glottis, which prevents the production of sound. During an attack, there is a rapid and sharp movement of the larynx up and down. Due to the inability to do this smoothly, a person pronounces vowel sounds firmly.

The somatic system also deteriorates, in particular, there is a deviation of the protruding tongue to the side, a curvature of the nasal septum, and hypertrophy of the nasal turbinates.

As soon as a person begins to get nervous during a conversation, he involuntarily makes certain movements (with his hands, head or other parts of the body), mistaking them for conscious ones. This could be, for example, tilting the head back, tilting it to the sides, closing the eyes, clenching the fist. Experts consider each movement as tonic or clonic seizures.

Concern regarding such a problem results in mental disorders. Due to the fear of pronouncing certain letters or syllables, a person throws them out of his speech, trying to replace them with others. In severe cases, the patient stops speaking completely, which can subsequently even cause an inferiority complex.

Forms of stuttering and characteristic signs

Speech defects are classified according to two criteria: the course of the pathology and the characteristics of muscle spasms. According to the first sign, they distinguish:

1. Persistent neurotic stuttering is a disorder that is constantly present in all situations.
2. Wavy - the defect periodically disappears, then appears again within 1–3 days. This is due to fluctuations in a person’s emotional background.
3. Recurrent (recurrent) - the defect disappears for a long period (up to several years), after which it appears again.

According to the characteristics of seizures, they are distinguished:

1. Clonic - multiple spasms of the muscles of the speech apparatus occur one after another, causing involuntary repetition of consonant sounds, hesitation when pronouncing syllables or words when speaking.
2. Tonic is a consequence of prolonged strong contraction of the muscles of the mouth or throat, which leads to a delay in speech, long pauses between words, and repetition of vowel sounds.
3. Mixed - symptoms of clonic and tonic logoneurosis appear.

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Phases of pathology development

All symptoms of pathology can be divided into phases of development. The lower phase (last) indicates a complete disorder of speech and rarely can be completely cured. When diagnosing a disease occurring in the upper phase (first), it is still possible to achieve recovery, but only under certain circumstances (for example, the disease occurs in a child).

1 phase

At this stage, stuttering is episodic, that is, it is observed not on an ongoing basis, but from time to time. As the disease progresses, the signs of pathology increase and appear more frequently and more pronounced. Stammering is observed at the beginning of a person’s speech and mainly affects short parts - prepositions, conjunctions, etc.

The intensity of stuttering increases with increased excitement, during a rush, and under other “communicative pressure.” At this stage, the child does not yet understand his defect. During the speech process, the baby does not experience emotional discomfort or worry about this.

2 phase

There is constant stuttering. Only from time to time the spasm in the voice disappears and the intensity of the speech disorder subsides. Pathological speech occurs with emotional excitement and in multi-word words, while pronouns and monosyllabic words do not change.

The child begins to understand that he has a defect, but speaks freely, without being embarrassed by it. The patient can “control” his speech and prevent hesitation by slowing down the pace of conversation.

3 phase

The child clearly understands that he stutters. This becomes an obstacle to communication with friends and peers. Certain sounds and words are not given to the child on a regular basis. Fear of speech and expressed emotional experience do not arise at this stage.

4 phase

The disease is accompanied by severe emotional distress: the child (adult), understanding his problem, avoids any conversations with people around him and experiences fear.

Causes of stuttering in adults

It is customary to distinguish between neurotic stuttering (logoneurosis) and organic, or neurosis-like.

In a conversation with the patient, the doctor finds out whether the symptoms are constant or their manifestation depends on the circumstances of the speech act. The patient is prescribed a brain study in the form of an electroencephalogram.

If an encephalographic examination reveals the presence of abnormalities in the functioning of the brain structures responsible for speech functions, then stuttering is classified as organic.

It is characterized by constant symptoms that occur even in a calm and familiar environment for the patient:

• In adult patients, organic stuttering occurs as a complication after strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and other diseases affecting the motor sphere.
• tumor processes in the brain can mechanically interfere with the passage of nerve impulses and cause speech disorders.

Logoneuroses in adults are caused by stressful situations and deep nervous shocks. In these cases, stuttering is not fixed physiologically and largely depends on the level of emotional stress of the person.

Neurotic stuttering intensifies when it is necessary to speak in an unusual environment or in front of several people. There are known cases of temporary stuttering, which appears immediately after strong fear, affect, anger and goes away after some time, along with a decrease in the tension of the situation. To effectively help a person, a hot drink or a small dose of alcohol is enough.

Timely qualified assistance for stress logoneurosis is especially important. Otherwise, a pathological stereotype is formed, stuttering becomes chronic, and convulsive syndromes, nervous tics and twitching are added to external speech problems. Psychological discomfort increases, communication with other people becomes tiresome to the point of exhaustion.

The largest group is of people who stutter from an early age. The primary causes of disorders may be organic or neurotic, but the main feature of patients in this group is that the disease has an ingrained, stable nature.

The picture is complicated by hereditary predisposition and already formed speech habits. Courses of treatment for such patients can last several years.

In the video, the doctor explains what is the real cause and what is the trigger for stuttering:

Diagnostics

Before starting stuttering therapy, a doctor must confirm the diagnosis. This issue is dealt with by such specialists as a speech therapist, a child neurologist, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist. Anamnesis of the disease, hereditary burden, and the level of psycho-speech and motor development of the child are important. They also find out what situations or factors preceded the speech disorder.

When diagnosing a child, they find out the localization, shape and frequency of speech spasms, the pace of conversation, breathing, voice, and determine what concomitant speech and movement disorders are present. Diagnostic measures are carried out to examine phonemic hearing, sound pronunciation, and the lexical and grammatical aspects of speech.

Differential analysis of stuttering is carried out with such pathologies as dysarthria, stumbling, tachylalia. Organic lesions of the central nervous system can be identified using rheoencephalography, echoEG, and EEG.

Features of therapy

If you notice any hesitation in your child’s conversation, you should immediately visit a specialist. Is it possible to cure stuttering? At the initial stage of development of pathology, it can still be cured and the child can return to normal communication.

They immediately limit any communication with friends and peers, and do not take the child to an educational institution or any clubs. All family members should speak at a slow pace. This will help the child begin to speak in the same rhythm, which will subsequently cause the complete disappearance of the defect.

If possible, the child should be sent to a specialized sanatorium, or simply change the environment to a more favorable one by visiting the sea, cottage, etc. It is recommended to enrich the diet with healthy foods that contain a sufficient amount of vitamins and beneficial microelements. It is better to exclude fast food, canned food and other junk foods.

The main condition for a speedy recovery is the use of several methods of therapy. Today, there are many treatment techniques used for stuttering. This may include taking special medications, performing therapeutic exercises, hypnosis, homeopathy, physiotherapy (for example, acupuncture), etc. You can supplement the basic treatment prescribed by your doctor with folk remedies.

Medicines

Drug treatment for the disease is considered auxiliary and is aimed at eliminating unpleasant symptoms, such as anxiety, severe fear, and depressive symptoms. It can be:

1. Calming (sedative) tablets. They have a general calming effect on the central nervous system and help reduce the reaction to any external stimulus. Such drugs are involved in enhancing the processes of inhibition and weakening excitation. They have a mild effect on the body, unlike tranquilizers and anti-anxiety drugs. These include Novopassit, Sedasen, Corvalol, etc.
2. Tranquilizers. Such psychotropic drugs are a good way to reduce anxiety, fear, and calm. Despite their effectiveness, they must be used with caution, because tranquilizers are powerful and can be addictive. This group includes Afobazol, Phenazepam, Tenoten, etc.
3. General strengthening drugs. Their action helps to increase the body’s resistance to one or another unfavorable factor. At the same time, there is a correction of the physical and psycho-emotional state, and an increase in performance. These include preparations of valerian, motherwort, B vitamins, Magnelis, etc.
4. Antispasmodics. They are considered effective for the spastic form of the disease. The spastic effect is due to interference with the mechanism of muscle contraction. Pain is relieved by acting on smooth muscle cells or by blocking nerve impulses passing to the muscles. This group of drugs includes Mydocalm, Diafen, Sirdalud, etc.

Treatment for clonic stuttering is carried out using the drug Pantogam in a daily dosage of 0.25-0.75 to 3 g per day. The approximate duration of therapy ranges from one to four months.

Physiotherapy

The treatment system for stuttering also includes physiotherapeutic procedures. This therapy successfully combats disorders in the central nervous system, promotes calm and improves the psycho-emotional state.

The following techniques have a sedative effect on the body:

• electrophoresis with medicinal substances from the group of sedatives (carried out on the collar area);
• acupuncture;
• franklinization;
• aerotherapy;
• vibration massage;
• baths with the addition of nitrogen, iodine, bromine.

The activity of articulatory muscles can be normalized with the help of diadynamic therapy and darsonvalization.

Physiotherapy

A speech impediment can be eliminated with the help of breathing exercises, which are performed while the patient is actively moving (walking, running, jumping) and with the body at complete rest (standing, lying, sitting). This method of treating stuttering in adults and children helps achieve the following goals:

• normalize the activity of the abdominal muscles and diaphragmatic breathing;
• learn to regulate your breathing rhythm;
• learn to correctly place exhalations during speech segments.

The first training includes light breathing exercises, eventually moving on to sounds, phrases, and verbal expressions. Over the course of the next lessons, the level of difficulty of the tasks will increase. You shouldn’t stop doing exercises at the first positive changes. The patient must complete the full course of therapy.

At home, it is recommended to recite special tongue twisters, with the help of which you can develop normal speech and reduce the symptoms of stuttering.

How to deal with stuttering in adults and children

The main difficulty that an adult will have to face in the fight against stuttering is the already formed ideas about life and attitudes towards external relations with the world. It is necessary to firmly understand that childhood problems and fears are left behind, and at the moment you need to look at the world realistically. What approaches can be used for this?

• Ensure the fulfillment of children's wishes. For example, if a child was not allowed to practice singing, figure skating, or playing a musical instrument, now is the time to realize unfulfilled dreams.
• Cultivate in yourself the feeling of an adult and self-sufficient person. It is necessary to understand that no one can prohibit you from expressing your opinion and acting in the chosen direction. An adult decides for himself where and with whom to go, what job to get, with whom to live, and so on. You need to get rid of the fear of doing something wrong, making a mistake.
• Learn to say no. An obligatory point in the treatment of stuttering is teaching an objection. Refusals are difficult for people raised in an authoritarian regime under pressure from parents and other persons. You must learn to firmly express your position, without going back. This approach is applicable to situations where a person would be happy to refuse, but cannot. If concessions are made from the heart and no internal conflict arises, there is no special need to object.

In the fight against stuttering in a child, the main role is given to parents. A kind attitude, showing love and attention to his problems and desires, support in any endeavors or failures is the key to a quick recovery of speech function. You should improve your child’s sleep, visit a psychologist together, diversify his leisure time (for example, enroll him in a sports section), and protect him from stressful situations.

Computer programs

Modern medicine has a number of computer programs that help relieve a person from stuttering. One of these is the “Speech corrector” program. Its goal is to synchronize the speech and hearing centers.

The program works like this:

• a person speaks words into a microphone;
• the program automatically delays speech for a second;
• a person, having heard his goal with a delay, tries to adapt to it.

According to research, such a program helps to reduce speech defects in approximately 80% of cases of treatment of the disease, and its regular use helps to completely get rid of stuttering.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy sessions can help you recover. Today there are many similar effects on the patient. This is hypnosis, suggestion while awake, self-hypnosis, autogenic training. Sessions can be individual or group.

Music therapy helps normalize the emotional state. A technique such as suggestion will be effective. Systematic suggestion therapy helps to quickly eliminate all clinical manifestations of pathology. Verbal, whispered, mental, psychoenergetic suggestion is practiced.

Methods for correcting stuttering in adolescents and adults; educational and methodological material on speech therapy

The course of treatment for stuttering (2.5 - 3 months) is divided by the author into five stages: preparatory (diagnostic); restructuring of pathological speech skills and disrupted personality relationships; consolidation of achieved results; medical examination and prevention; Spa treatment .

The preparatory (diagnostic) stage lasts 10 - 15 days. At this time, the patient is studied by a neuropathologist, defectologist and psychotherapist; Anamnestic and clinical data are studied, psychotherapeutic and speech therapy measures are planned, and drug treatment is prescribed.

At the stage of restructuring pathological speech skills and disturbed personality relationships (from 1 to 1.5 months), speech therapy classes are conducted to normalize respiratory and vocal functions, develop speech “standards”, etc. At the same time, autogenic training and rational psychotherapy begin. Then (after 15 - 20 days) a session of suggestion is carried out in a state of wakefulness. After the session, active speech therapy work begins. At the same time, sessions of hypnotherapy, self-hypnosis and rational psychotherapy aimed at consolidating the achieved results are of great importance.

Considering the complex impact on people who stutter as a combination of speech therapy and psychotherapeutic work, V. M. Shklovsky at this stage divides speech therapy work into two parts: preparatory and active training of smooth and continuous speech. The first part includes:

1) correction of breathing, register and timbre of voice;

2) developing the correct rhythm and tempo of speech;

3) mastery of “standards”, “formulas” of speech;

4) identifying the potential speech abilities of people who stutter. Normalization of the patient's speech breathing and voice, rate of speech, mastery of “standards” - all this is the basis for subsequent suggestive and rational psychotherapy.

In the second part of speech therapy work (in the active training of smooth and continuous speech), the skills of continuous speech are consolidated before its automation; People who stutter learn various techniques to help them cope with emerging speech difficulties, and their confidence in their abilities is strengthened. Smooth, coherent speech is achieved by practicing pronouncing a number of vowel sounds, then numbers, individual phrases, etc. In cases where it is not possible to achieve complete normalization of speech, exercises in conjugate and reflected speech, etc. are introduced. Speech therapy work is carried out along with active suggestive psychotherapy.

In total, at least 3-4 hours should be devoted to speech classes during the day (each lesson is 10-15 minutes of speech training).

Psychotherapeutic work at the stage of restructuring pathological speech skills and disturbed personal relationships is important and comes in various forms. Rational psychotherapy is expressed in the form of individual and collective conversations. It helps explain to the patient the causes of stuttering, reveals the importance and necessity of an active attitude and determination for the successful treatment of stuttering.

Hypnotherapy begins 3-4 days after the start of active speech training. It is carried out initially three times a week, and then once every 7 - 10 days: During suggestion, in addition to formulas of a generally calming nature, attention is paid to the normalization of the emotional-volitional sphere and the activity of the articulatory-vocal and respiratory apparatus. In some cases, hypnotherapy is a good preparation for conducting a suggestion session while awake.

Suggestion in the waking state is a psychotherapeutic session during which many techniques can be used: conversations conducted under strong emotional stress of patients, ending with imperative suggestion; imperative suggestion in the waking state with the inclusion of demonstrative moments. The session is carried out with a group of 6 - 8 people, it is scheduled in advance for a certain day, which is especially expected by patients, since it is a turning point in treatment.

Self-hypnosis is not a passive recitation of formulas, but an active desire to imagine oneself speaking well. It is carried out 2 - 3 times a day. The patient must be able to create images of himself speaking well, without stuttering: at home, in school, at work and in other situations. A self-hypnosis session before bed is especially important.

At the stage of consolidating the achieved results (it lasts a month), speech training is carried out in the patient’s usual living environment. Overcoming speech difficulties in everyday life, cultivating speech activity and strengthening the belief in the ability to independently cope with speech difficulties in the most difficult situations constitute the main content of the third, final stage of stuttering treatment.

V. M. Shklovsky, along with the main stages of logopsychotherapeutic work with stutterers, draws attention to the need for clinical examination and prevention as very important sections of work, without which the problem of treating stuttering cannot be solved. Clinical examination and prevention create the prerequisites for reducing the incidence of stuttering and help prevent relapses.

For stutterers with deep neurotic disorders and pronounced vegetative dystonia, it is advisable to organize sanatorium-resort treatment using climatic and balneological influences, exercise therapy and physiotherapeutic measures.

Homeopathy

How to cure stuttering in an adult and a child, in addition to the above methods? Homeopathy will come to the rescue, especially if traditional therapy does not bring the desired recovery. For example, you can take one of these medications:

• Ignacy Amara: treats stuttering caused by psychological trauma or severe stress;
• Datura Stramonium: helps a person separate words and improves the clarity of pronunciation;
• Bovista: treats increased arousal - one of the causes of stuttering;
• Papaver Somniferum: treats stuttering as a result of fear, increased excitability;
• Hyospiamus Niger: reduces anxiety, fear, eliminates the consequences of fright;
• Veratum Album: eliminates the slowness and lethargy that often accompany logoneurosis.

Why does an adult stutter?

The main causes of stuttering in adults are divided into two groups:

1. Neurotic (logoneurosis) - appears in stressful situations, fear, psychotrauma, phobias. Logoneurosis is permanent or temporary. Symptoms of the defect intensify with stress, anxiety and go away with rest. The neurotic type of stuttering is easily corrected.
2. Neuro-like (organic) - as a consequence of organic brain damage (oxygen starvation, strokes, tumor processes, etc.). The symptoms are stable and do not depend on the emotional state. Speech disturbances are often accompanied by convulsions or twitching of facial muscles (tics), additional head movements, and difficulty breathing. Organic stuttering is difficult to treat and requires constant monitoring by specialists.

Is stuttering inherited?

A speech defect is inherited only when stuttering is a symptom of a genetic disease. There is a low percentage of predisposition to organic lesions of the speech center in the brain.

Author's methods

There are many ways to treat stuttering. Some patients who have recovered from this pathology offer their own effective methods, thanks to which they managed to defeat the disease.

One of these is Professor Andronova-Harutyunyan. According to her method, stuttering can be eliminated by synchronizing speech and finger movements. This is easy to do, because every second person gestures when talking. According to this technique, the limb does not interfere with the conversation, but, on the contrary, acts as a support. The hand thereby prevents stuttering by promoting normal speech.

It is advisable to undergo such therapy under the supervision of a specialist. If you make mistakes, it will be impossible to achieve recovery. Only a speech therapist can tell you how to perform the manipulation correctly.

Folk remedies

How to get rid of stuttering on your own? At home, you can use folk remedies. These can be herbal mixtures:

• chamomile, valerian, nettle, mint: 0.5 tbsp. collection, pour 250 ml of boiling water, leave for half an hour, take 100 ml orally at a time, 2 times a day;
• lemon balm, licorice, calendula, sweet clover, birch leaves: 1 tbsp. of the collection, pour boiling water in the volume of a glass, leave for 2 hours, take 100 ml orally 5 times a day;
• rose hips, caraway seeds, hops, dandelion, mint, wormwood, cudweed: 7 g of raw materials, pour 400 ml of boiling water, leave for 6 hours, take 70 ml orally three times a day;
• mint, raspberry (shoots), nettle, cumin: 7 g of raw materials, pour 375 ml of boiling water, leave for an hour and a half, take 50 ml orally three times a day;
• St. John's wort, lemon balm, motherwort, chamomile, oregano: pour 70 g of raw material into 400 ml of boiling water, leave for 3 hours, take 100 ml orally before meals three times a day.

Self-therapy also involves aromatherapy, which has a calming, relaxing effect, relieving tension from the central nervous system. In this case, oils such as lavender, sandalwood, rosemary, pine, rose, basil, and thyme will be effective. The recipe is as follows: any of the oils must be applied to a scarf or dry napkin and applied to the bridge of the nose up to 4 times a day.

Aromatic oils can be added to baths. For example, the oil can be dissolved in kefir (a couple of drops per 100 ml of fermented milk product) and added to water. Her temperature should be within 37 degrees. This therapy is recommended to be carried out daily for a week.

Beekeeping products are effective for stuttering, for example, honey (1 tsp), which is diluted with mumiyo (1 tablet) and an egg. The finished product does not need to be swallowed, but only kept in the mouth for as long as possible. The procedure is carried out in the morning and evening. The treatment period is 4-6 months.

Some are of the opinion that stuttering can be cured with the help of prayers and spells. In any case, it is worth trying all methods.

Consequences

No disease disappears without a trace. Impaired speech development is accompanied by unpleasant psychological consequences that contribute to personality suppression and interfere with leading a normal lifestyle. If you do not start treating the disease at the initial stage, it will be quite difficult to completely get rid of it later.

A child who suffers from stuttering may be withdrawn, uncommunicative, he develops a fear of new acquaintances, and he does not adapt well to a team. At school, the child is given more subjects that do not require oral preparation.

To some extent, the serious consequences of stuttering in a child also concern his parents. They must support the child, inspire him that the problem can be solved. Despite this, the risk of negative consequences is still increased. Among them:

• development of neurological disorders;
• prolonged depression;
• loss of desire to meet new people and communicate with people around them;
• inferiority complex.

To avoid such consequences, you should take care of stuttering prevention in advance.

Is stuttering treatable in children and adults?

If an adult or child stutters and drags out words, you need to

How to overcome stuttering in a child? undergo treatment with a speech therapist. If you consult a doctor in a timely manner, your speech can improve or get rid of the problem altogether (depending on the diagnosis). In young children, after determining the cause of stuttering, the doctor must evaluate the stuttering in speech: short-term or long-term. In most cases, stuttering is assessed using a series of tests, observations, and interviews.

Evaluation of older children and adults is more focused on determining the severity of the disorder and the impact the speech disorder has on the person's ability to communicate and perform daily activities appropriately.

Stuttering is often characterized by problems with speech motor skills (such as sensory and motor coordination). In this case, children and adults who stutter may benefit from treatments such as speech therapy, the use of electronic devices to improve fluency, or cognitive behavioral therapy.