Stuttering treatment center in Moscow

About the disease

Stuttering is a violation of the smoothness and rhythm of speech, in which the child has difficulty pronouncing words and phrases, repeated repetition of syllables or short words, and lengthening of pauses before the start of pronunciation.
The disorder is based on spastic contraction of structures that provide speech function (muscles of the larynx, tongue, soft palate, lips). Spasms are caused by excessive stimulation of the corresponding centers in the brain (speech, emotional). As a result, articulatory, vocal or respiratory contractions occur that prevent the child from speaking smoothly and rhythmically. Most often, stuttering occurs in children 2-4 and 5-7 years old. This disorder is found 4 times more often in boys than in girls. In 50-80% of cases the condition can be corrected. The key to success is timely seeking qualified help. The earlier therapy is started, the greater the chances of getting rid of the speech defect forever.

Treatment of stuttering in preschoolers

Stuttering

- one of the most severe speech defects. It is difficult to eliminate, traumatizes the child’s psyche, slows down the correct course of his upbringing, interferes with verbal communication, and complicates relationships with others, especially in children’s groups. Stuttering is a widespread speech disorder. It occurs in young children during the period of the most active formation of their speech and personality from 2 to 3.5 years. But stuttering is not only a disorder of speech function. In the manifestations of stuttering, attention is drawn to disorders of the nervous system of stutterers, their physical health, general motor skills, actual speech function, and the presence of psychological characteristics.

Stuttering should be eliminated as soon as it occurs. The more time passes from the moment stuttering begins, the more often it turns into a severe, persistent defect and entails changes in the child’s psyche. In addition, stuttering deprives a child of normal communication conditions and often interferes with his successful studies. Therefore, it is important to eliminate this defect before the child enters school.

Stuttering is a violation of speech rhythm, often associated with an imperfect rhythm of movements of the whole body (clumsiness, clumsiness in movements). Sometimes the spasms are repeated rhythmically: pe-pe-pe - rooster or p-p-p-rooster; A-a-a-anya. This form of stuttering is typical of young children. It's called clonic

.

Sometimes, due to a cramp, a child is completely unable to utter the desired sound or lingers on it for a long time, painfully overcoming the cramp: p—rooster, L... (draws out the sound a for a long time) - Anya. This form of stuttering is called tonic

. Usually the first sounds of words and phrases are pronounced with such difficulties. The easier, clonic form of stuttering often turns into a more difficult form of stuttering, called tonic, over time. It happens that a person who stutters, before pronouncing a word, convulsively, with a whistle, exhales almost all the air and then, choking, says: xxx (exhale) I don’t want to sleep.

Stuttering occurs either suddenly, sometimes after a certain period of muteness (from several hours to several days), or gradually, gradually intensifying. The latter occurs most often as a result of diseases that deplete the nervous system and its intoxication. Under favorable conditions of life and development of the child’s body, it can gradually disappear. But if others in the presence of the child begin to pay intense attention to the speech defect, talk a lot about this “misfortune”, grieve, groan, if the child has a fear of being funny when talking with others, if the nervous system is weakened, then stuttering, on the contrary, intensifies . Stuttering periodically weakens and intensifies, which is generally characteristic of nervous diseases, and depends on changes in external and internal stimuli falling on the child’s brain.

Is stuttering hereditary? We are often asked about this. No, only weakness of the nervous system can be inherited. This is why parents who stutter do not always have children who stutter. Moreover, some of them stutter not because of the inherited nervous system, but as a result of imitating the speech of their parents. The fact that stuttering is not hereditary, but an acquired speech disorder, makes it easier to combat it.

So, stuttering is closely related to the state of the nervous system, to the child’s entire personality and his relationships with others. From this situation flow the means to combat it.

How do we help kids in our center?

After the first consultation and getting to know the child’s family, you may be given a variety of advice:

1. In recent cases of stuttering, when the child is less than 3.5 years old, slow speech training for the whole family may be recommended. At this training, you will learn to use “therapeutic” speech when communicating with your child. You will be given recommendations on the correct implementation of the general and speech regime.

2. If your child has been stuttering for more than six months, you will have to find time for regular classes. The course of treatment lasts 4 months. The first month you need to exercise 5 times a week, the second month - 3-4 times a week, the third month - 2 times a week, and the fourth month - once a week. The duration of the lesson is 45 minutes. You should be prepared for the fact that the child does not attend a child care facility during the entire course of treatment, and in the first month the mother is constantly with the child.

3. You may be recommended a course of treatment according to S.M. Tomilina’s

(Patent No. 2450835 dated April 24, 2012).

The course of treatment is calculated from 4 months to six months

.

• 1 month – classes 5-6 times a week
• 2 month – classes 3-4 times a week
• 3 month – classes 2 times a week
• 4 months – classes once a week

Lesson duration 45 minutes. Classes are conducted individually and in mini groups for 2-3 children. At the first stage - always individually.

During the entire course of treatment, the child does not attend child care institutions, developmental or sports sections. The mother must be with the child (at least 2 months). All family members speak slowly throughout the course. At the initial stage of treatment, approximately 10 days, a regime of silence outside of speech therapy classes is recommended. Then we teach children to speak very slowly, synchronizing their speech with the movements of their hands. Gradually, the rate of speech accelerates (not earlier than after 6 months) and becomes normal. We recommend talking to your hands for at least 6 months.

In classes we develop speech breathing, voice, and fine motor skills. We use logorhythmics, physical education, massage. We do not offer home-based treatment for stuttering. We train only in the center! Thus, the treatment of a preschool child for stuttering according to the method of Tomilina S.M.

involves going through several stages over 6 months:

• Silence mode • Maximum speech restriction mode • Speech only in class is very slow • Speech only in class is slow, synchronized with hand movements • Speech outside class is slow, synchronized with hand movements. • Speech is slow and calm in all situations with hand movements. • Speech at a normal pace in all situations without moving the hands.

Call:

+7 (495) 150-43-47

Opening hours from 9.00 to 20.00 daily without days off or breaks.

Types of logoneuroses

Depending on the reasons, there are 2 forms of stuttering.
The neurosis-like form implies speech disorders against the background of systemic neurosis. This type of disorder is difficult to treat because it is genetically determined. Children with this form have slightly different brain functioning than normal children. Such children begin to speak later and develop more slowly than their peers. The neurotic form of stuttering develops against the background of severe shocks or chronic stress. As a rule, a child begins to stutter after being frightened. In the future, spasms of the speech muscles are repeated more and more often, and a fear of speaking develops. This form responds well to treatment if it is not started in time. Depending on the nature of speech disorders, the following types of stuttering are distinguished:

• tonic – the child stretches out certain sounds or makes inappropriate pauses;
• clonic - the baby repeats words or sounds;
• mixed - pauses and repetitions are present simultaneously.

How does stuttering manifest itself?

There are tonic and clonic stuttering. With tonic, the child stretches out the sound or pauses in speech, for example: “car.” With clonic, the child repeats a sound or word, for example: “mmm-m-machine”, “de-de-de-tree”. There is also a mixed form of stuttering with the presence of both clonic and tonic seizures.

In addition, a distinction is made between neurotic and neurosis-like forms of stuttering. In the neurotic form, there are no pronounced neurological defects, the child’s speech develops normally, stuttering occurs against the background of acute or chronic stress or a traumatic situation. The degree of manifestations depends on the situation and the psychological state of the baby. In a comfortable home environment, with close people, only slight hesitations may occur in speech, while in public or in a conversation with a stranger, the child cannot utter a word due to speech spasms. Fear of speech is typical; over time, the baby begins to avoid communication.

In the neurosis-like form, there are obvious neurological disorders (dysarthria, articulation disorders, gross and fine motor skills; EEG usually shows disturbances in brain functioning) and/or deeper mental disorders (schizophrenia, mental retardation). Children either lag behind in development compared to their healthy peers, begin to speak later, or have specific features in their development (unsociability or, conversely, illegibility in communication, “strange” interests, hobbies and fantasies, etc.).

Symptom of stuttering

Stuttering first appears at the age of 2-4 years. You should suspect speech disorders if:

• the child takes a long time to say a phrase;
• the baby pronounces words hesitantly, pausing between them;
• the child often stops when saying a sentence;
• repeats individual words or sounds, often at the beginning of a word.

As a rule, the first signs appear soon after a stressful situation.
Under the influence of the people around him, the child tries to speak correctly, but uncontrolled spasms do not allow him to do this. As the psycho-emotional state normalizes, the defect weakens and may disappear completely. After repeated exposure to the provoking factor, the disorder appears again. Over time, periods of exacerbation of stuttering become longer and longer, and periods of remission become shorter. In adolescence, logophobia manifests itself more and more, the child avoids situations in which he has to speak. He develops psychological complexes. The problem gets worse because in any uncomfortable situation the teenager is exposed to stress, and the symptom becomes more pronounced.

Causes of stuttering

The main cause of stuttering is excessively high activity in certain centers of the brain.
The exact reasons are unknown even today. Doctors identify only risk groups for the development of stuttering. These include children who are prone to seizures, have increased anxiety, etc. The functioning of the speech apparatus is negatively affected by the frequent presence of a child during intrafamily conflicts and the difficult psychological situation in the family. The baby's environment also directly affects his speech abilities. If parents or close relatives have this disorder, it is highly likely that logoneurosis may develop in the child. Stuttering is more often detected in children who, since childhood, have been studying more than 2 languages, the development of which their parents are especially zealous. Violations also occur in those children who spend a lot of time at the computer or TV. The provoking factor is almost always fear.

Causes of stuttering in children

There are different causes of stuttering in children. If a speech disorder is detected at an early age of up to three years, then there are most likely problems in the functioning of the brain. Congenital stuttering appears as a result of pathologies during pregnancy, difficult childbirth, or genetic predisposition.

When the baby spoke normally, and after 4 years he began to stutter, then this is an acquired disorder of speech function. In the psychosomatics of stuttering in children, the following reasons are distinguished:

• Psychological trauma caused by the loss of loved ones, very strong fear, chronic stress. Speech defects can occur in children suffering from lack of attention or in spoiled ones.
• An unfavorable family situation - constant scandals and scolding of parents, a difficult divorce, corporal punishment of a child.
• Computer addiction. If you constantly occupy your child with a tablet, smartphone or laptop, you are replacing the real world with a virtual one. It becomes difficult for a child to establish communication with a living person, which causes speech disturbances.
• Diseases. Speech impairment can occur after meningitis, head trauma, or acute respiratory diseases. Children with diabetes are also predisposed to stuttering.
• Pseudo-stuttering. It is possible that someone close to you stutters, then the child simply copies this manner of speech. He has no pathology.

Stages of stuttering correction

Comprehensive stuttering correction includes visits to a neurologist, speech therapist, psychologist and psychotherapist. Experts determine the cause of stuttering in order to select the most effective methods for speech restoration. The combination of drug treatment, physical therapy, visits to a speech therapist, and creative development contributes to the rapid normalization of children's speech.

Speech therapy diagnosis and correction of stuttering is carried out according to the principle from simple to complex.

Stages of stuttering correction:

• Preparatory - a child is examined, a conversation is held with parents, the child is prepared for classes and a favorable environment is created, and samples of correct speech are shown.
• Training - mastering difficult forms of speech in different speech situations, training free speech skills. Exercises are conducted to develop facial expressions, auditory and visual attention, motor skills, and a sense of rhythm. Here the child goes through the stages of conjugate, reflected, question-answer and independent speech.
• Consolidating - consolidating the skills of independent, detailed and specific speech.

Consult a speech therapist by calling +7 (495) 974-39-34.

Diagnosis of stuttering

Doctors have extensive experience in diagnosing and treating various forms of stuttering.
They pay great attention to identifying the causes of these violations in order to radically cope with the problem. An integrated and personalized approach allows you to count on recovery as soon as possible. If your child stutters, your first priority should be to see a pediatrician. If necessary, the specialist will give a referral to a neurologist and psychiatrist. These doctors order tests to look for organic changes in the brain that may be causing the problem. Parents will also have to contact a child psychologist. Before making a final diagnosis, each doctor carefully studies the medical history, parents’ complaints, and evaluates the child’s behavior.

Treatment for stuttering

Doctors work to treat stuttering comprehensively. Several techniques are used at once to increase the patient’s chances of a full recovery. To eliminate the symptom, the following may be prescribed:

• group, individual, family sessions with a psychologist;
• classes with a speech therapist;
• drug therapy;
• hypnotherapy;
• acupuncture;
• physiotherapy.

It is important not only to recognize the causes of stuttering, but also to teach the child to independently cope with provocative situations, develop self-confidence, and work with fears and beliefs. Despite the high effectiveness of treatment methods, doctors cannot guarantee recovery. In some cases, therapy only improves the situation, but does not lead to complete recovery. The problem of stuttering cannot be ignored by expecting the child to “outgrow it.” You need to enlist the support of professionals and actively work with the baby. Then he will be able to enjoy a full life and free communication. Doctors are ready to come to your aid, even in the most difficult situation!

Treatment and prognosis

Today, the treatment of such children includes not only medical, but also pedagogical influence.

• Use of medications. A huge number of different groups of drugs can be used in the treatment of stuttering. Let's look at the most common of them:
• 1. Nootropics (piracetam, pantogam, pantocalcin, phenibut).
• 2. Sedatives (valerian, phenibut, glycine, persen, afobazole, adaptol, novo passit). It is worth noting that many nootropics also combine sedative effects.
• 3. Vitamins, especially B vitamins (combilipen, compligam B, larigama).

One of the treatment methods is sessions with a speech therapist.

There are a huge number of methods for overcoming stuttering in children, as well as groups of drugs that can be used in individual cases. Many of you are interested in the question: “Can we help a child on our own, at home and without running to doctors? Is it possible to completely cure stuttering in a child? There are separate techniques that allow you to improve pronunciation and so on by practicing at home, but they are also selected by a specialist. As for the forecast, there is no clear statement. It can be assumed that the younger the child, the more cheerful and positive his behavior, the fewer concomitant psychopathological disorders, the weaker the manifestations of seizures, the better the prognosis.