Alternative Medicine Guide

One of the most famous examples of speech stuttering can be found in the cartoon character Porky Pig. Young kids often have trouble beginning a word, phrase or sentence. They may repeat sounds, syllables or words over and over again. Speech problems are often accompanied by rapid blinking, jaw tremors or tension in the face. Many children will attend speech/stuttering therapy and outgrow these developmental difficulties, but some don’t. As adults, these people will have suffered years of self-esteem damage.

Scientists aren’t sure what exactly causes stuttering, but researchers hypothesize that there are a number of regions in the brain that play a part in stammering stuttering; namely the cortex, the cerebrum and the cortical pathways. In the past, physicians thought that blocking a chemical called “dopamine” in the brain would reduce the incidence of stuttering, but now they’re finding that increasing the level of GABA chemical can work in much the same way. Speech problems tend to run in the family, indicating that there is an unknown genetic factor at work. With developmental stuttering, children may find it difficult to synch their thoughts with their language capabilities, and in adult cases of strokes or brain injuries, neurogenic stuttering occurs because there are lesions or structural abnormalities in the motor-speech region of the brain.

As a parent, you might be wondering when to take your child to see a doctor about his or her speech stuttering problem. After all, it’s common for children between the ages of 2 and 5 to trip over their words. Generally, you should visit a physician or consider speech therapy if the condition lasts more than six months, it becomes more frequent, it occurs along with facial twitches/rapid blinking/tension, it affects your child’s schoolwork or social life, it causes emotional problems like speech avoidance or if it continues past age 5 while reading in school.

It’s important for parents to avoid actions that’ll increase speech stuttering problems. For instance, asking too many questions in succession can create stress for a child who stutters. Interrupting or forcing the child to begin over and repeat stuttered words over and over again will also do no good. If anything, it will only embarrass your child even more. Parents should also avoid forcing their children to speak in front of groups or bark out instructions like “Think before you speak,” “Slow down,” “Take your time” or “Take a deep breath.” Instead of drawing attention to the speech disorder, parents should try to be more supportive and sensitive.

Rene Lacape is a seasoned insurance agent. He has been dealing with both corporate and individual accounts for several years up to the present. If you need him, you can check his website and give him a call. Act now.

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