Yasmina Kattou 06:06, October 22, 2022
It is a rare phenomenon that only affects 1% of the French population: stuttering.
Often appearing between the ages of 3 and 6, this neurological disorder can cause ridicule, especially among the youngest.
But methods exist to help children overcome the disease.
This Saturday, October 22, is World Stuttering Day.
In France, 1% of the population suffers from this neurological problem, i.e. more than 600,000 people.
This disorder can unfortunately cause mockery and laughter, especially among the little ones... But it is not inevitable.
When stuttering is taken care of as soon as the first symptoms appear, in children, it can completely disappear.
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Stuttering often appears between the ages of 3 and 6 and at this age, the brain is more malleable.
This is why in four out of five children stuttering disappears a few months after its appearance, sometimes spontaneously.
But if the symptoms persist for more than 6 months, you should consult a speech therapist.
And the care begins with instructions to the parents.
Slow down the pace
"The idea should rather be to slow down the flow and the parent himself, when he goes to talk to his child, will be asked to slow down, to take breaks to be able to see more fluid speech", explains Alexia Adjarian, speech therapist near Toulouse.
"By impregnation, the child will also take breaks, slow down and thus stutter less," she continues.
To support the progress made, parents are also invited to put themselves at the level of the child and help him on the words that block.
The speech therapist invites all concerned parents to visit the website www.begaiement.org, where instructional videos are available free of charge.
But also on the website www.allo-ortho.com where an article is dedicated to helping families see more clearly about the disorders from which their children suffer.