by Lillian Joyce

Created on: August 20, 2009   Last Updated: August 21, 2009

I honestly believe that most stuttering is caused by confidence issues. Unfortunately, some children are so painfully shy that they begin stuttering when they are in the spot light. I understand that this may not be the case for all children, but for some it is.

Children these days can be ruthless with each other. An already shy child can quickly become self conscience in a group. As they try to express ideas they fear rejection, which can lead to speech problems. Children act to stress in various ways, as adults experience nervousness different. The child begins to speak, already nervous when they begin to stutter. This can lead to teasing by his or her peers.

Thus begins a vicious cycle. The already fearful child will have an even harder time the next time they speak. Eventually the stuttering becomes worse and worse. The more they are teased the lower their self esteem and the more they stutter. As they grow up the stuttering combines with mumbling or even silence. Eventually the child learns that to communicating is painful and they might shy away from others.

As the child's self esteem plummets lower and lower, other behavioral problems may emerge. Instead of correcting the problem, these children may engage in undesirable behavior such as fighting. As they continue into their teenager years, these same children can turn to drugs and alcohol and other risky behavior. This is their means to escape their own low sense of self worth. The problems continue into adulthood, where they may end up in abusive or otherwise troubled relationships.

Some believe that the child is talking too fast or they try to offer ways to help. All of these well intended suggestions can cause further embarrassment. Rarely does any of this help. The child is stumbling over there words due to fear, insecurity, embarrassment, and even low self-worth. By showing children that we love them for who they are unconditionally, we may be able to stop this down word spiral before it becomes too late.

Unless the problem is corrected these once lovable children can have detrimental outcomes. It is imperative that children who stutter be seen by a speech therapist as soon as possible to correct the behavior. This early intervention can lead to confidence in talking as they learn how to clearly express their words. If speech therapy fails, then have an evaluation performed by a mental health counselor. It is so very important that this issue is resolved as soon as possible.

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