If you have a preschooler who is showing signs of stuttering, you may be wondering what you can do to help their chance of outgrowing it. Stuttering is not caused by the way you interact with your child, but there are ways to support their fluency if they start showing signs of stuttering. There are even electronic fluency devices, such as the delayed auditory feedback devices from SpeechEasy. Consider these tips to help support your child in communicating confidently:
Slow Your Speech
You may feel tempted to tell your child to slow down when they are speaking, but this could end up making them feel frustrated. Instead of suggesting this to your child, be an example. Reduce your own rate of speech to model unhurried speech.
Increase Pause Length
Often when we have conversations, we respond immediately after the other person has finished speaking. Children who stutter may feel as if they need to respond quickly, or before someone else takes their thunder. When speaking with your child, allow for a longer pause after you have finished speaking and are awaiting their response. This can help them feel less pressured.
Reduce Questions
When speaking with a toddler, we often automatically migrate to asking question after question in order to communicate with them. Try to balance your communication evenly between questions and comments. This will help reduce the pressure the child may feel to provide rapid answers to each and every question. You can still prompt the child to respond by voicing comments such as “I had yogurt for my snack,” which may persuade the child to share details with you, with help from their electronic fluency devices from SpeechEasy.
Follow Their Lead
When playing together, follow the child’s lead to help reduce verbal instruction. As they direct play, provide support by giving encouragement, praise, and good eye contact. This will help boost their confidence in taking the lead and even in speaking while playing.
Reduce Complexity
Children tend to try to imitate the vocabulary and grammar that they hear their parents use. When communicating with your child, SpeechEasy recommends reducing the complexity of your communication (vocabulary, grammar, sentence length) to lessen the demand of the speaking environment.
SpeechEasy | Electronic Fluency Devices
SpeechEasy is a combination of proven technology and techniques which can be used to reduce stuttering. Worn in one ear and similar in appearance to a hearing aid, SpeechEasy has helped thousands increase their ability to communicate effectively and confidently through the use of electronic fluency devices. The program that comes with every SpeechEasy is supported by a team of fluency professionals who truly care about your success. Contact us today!