Stuttering, or logoneurosis, is a complex speech disorder in which a person experiences difficulty in pronouncing phrases and words, as a result of which the smoothness and pace of speech is distorted. The disease is also accompanied by a change in the timbre of sound and respiratory distress. At the same time, one observes: severe fear, stiffness, and intense tension. Such symptoms in many cases lead to the development of psychological problems: self-isolation, social phobia. This article will tell you how to stop stuttering while talking.
The formation of logoneurosis
The causes of stuttering and the mechanism of its development are still poorly understood. The most popular theory is overexcitation of the center of Brock (a section of the cerebral cortex located in the lower part of the frontal gyrus). This reaction extends to other areas that are responsible for locomotor activity, provoking an involuntary contraction of the muscles of the speech apparatus: lips, tongue, palate, etc.
When Brock's center calms down, normal speech is restored. Stuttering most often occurs in consonants at the beginning of a word. According to some scientists, with the disease in question, there is an increase in the level of dopamine (the hormone responsible for joy, performance and motivation), with a decrease in which speech stabilizes. Therefore, now a drug is being developed that can stabilize its level.
Why do people stutter?
Factors that provoke speech impairment are usually divided into predisposing and producing. Predisposing reasons are:
- Violation of the central nervous system in close relatives with infectious or somatic diseases.
- Copy stuttering people. The kid involuntarily begins to imitate a stuttering person or intentionally copy his speech.
- Depletion of the nervous system caused by parasitic diseases, mental retardation, whooping cough, rickets, dysarthria.
- Damage to the brain, it is in it that the speech center is located, due to asphyxiation or traumatic, metabolic and infectious diseases.
- A momentary mental trauma provoked by severe fear or fear.
- Stuttering can result in nightly fears, involuntary urination, increased irritability, and feelings.
- Continuous psychological impact for a long time: biased attitude to the child, constant conflicts, retraining of left-handedness, spoiling.
- The hereditary factor is stuttering, which occurs in connection with the congenital weakness of the speech apparatus transmitted from close relatives.
- Improper speech development in childhood.
There are other reasons why people stutter: age-related characteristics of brain activity (usually occur by 5 years), physical weakness, lack of development of motor skills and mimic-articulatory movements, lack of positive emotions in contact with other people, mental impairment, hyperergy, accelerated speech development. You need to know how to stop stuttering during a conversation in order to avoid notoriety and feelings of inferiority.
Varieties of stuttering
Logoneurosis is distinguished by the type of speech spasms:
- Stuttering is a clonic form in which a stuttering person pronounces the same syllable or word several times.
- The tonic form suggests a deeper spasm of the muscles, it manifests itself in stretching sounds and long pauses in speech. In this case, a person cannot pronounce one word for a long time.
- A mixed type of stuttering is a violation of the smoothness of speech. It combines the phenomena of conical and tonic forms.
When stuttering, facial expressions also suffer: spasms of the facial muscles and limbs can be observed.
Clinical forms
Stuttering can occur in a neurosis-like or neurotic form. Moreover, each of them has its own reasons for development.
- Neurosis-like stutter. This speech impairment often arises from a pronounced mental disorder with loss of control over articulation and motor impairment. A child with this form of stuttering usually lags behind peers in development. Such abnormalities are found during MRI.
- Stuttering neurotic. This form of speech disorder includes social and psychological causes. Neurotic stuttering cannot be caused by physical abnormalities in the brain, postpartum or birth trauma. With this form of human disease, it is easier to cure than with a neurosis-like stutter. This problem is most often dealt with by a psychologist.
People with neurotic stutter are timid, touchy, silent and reserved. They invent their own fears that prevent them from living normally, all the time excited and annoyed. They have no deviations in physical development.
Logoneurosis: treatment in children
The elimination of stuttering in a child is usually psychotherapeutic. In the absence of organic brain lesions, drug treatment is not required. In order to remove pronunciation defects, relieve speech from tension, make it expressive and smooth, bring up clear articulation, resort to speech therapy treatment.
The primary treatment of logoneurosis in children should be supported by a corrective teacher (speech therapist). After this, the baby will have to practice his own oral speech. To consolidate a positive result, the child is given the opportunity to exercise in communication with other children.
Drug treatment
Complex stuttering therapy is aimed at the use of nootropic drugs, anxiolytic and anticonvulsants, tranquilizers. When the baby is not able to independently overcome the nervous strain, he is prescribed calming tinctures and decoctions based on medicinal herbs.
Acupressure and computer programs
How does a child stop stuttering while talking? Get rid of such a problem allows special computer programs. Their main task is to synchronize the patient’s auditory and speech centers. Computer exercises will help the baby gradually talk without hesitation.
With logoneurosis, acupressure is also recommended. During the procedure, the specialist acts on certain acupuncture points of the chest, back, legs and face. This therapy helps to restore the nervous regulation of speech, the result is noticeable immediately after the massage.
Elimination of a speech impediment in a speaker
How to stop stuttering while talking? The first thing you need to try to relax in order to relieve stress. In the early stages of the disease, sedatives can help.
In order not to stutter during a conversation, it is necessary to relax the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle, while the lower jaw should be in limbo. Breathing should be relaxed, free and even. Most psychologists advise resorting to speech training. The patient should talk to himself as often as possible, being in front of the mirror and imagining that he is talking with an outsider.
If stuttering is observed when pronouncing certain words, then you should write them on paper. After that, you need to regularly train confidently and slowly to pronounce such words. If you lose control of your speech, you need to take a break, relax and breathe deeply.
When communicating with friends, avoid unpleasant conversations for you, since stuttering cannot be avoided when escalating emotional stress. In such a situation, you need to end the conversation as soon as possible.
In the treatment of logoneurosis, patience and support of relatives is simply necessary, they will help to cope with the disease faster. You need to often talk with friends and relatives who will not pay attention to stumbling when talking.
If within 2-3 months it is not possible to get rid of stuttering independently and the pauses between pronunciation become very long, you should definitely visit a speech therapist. You can’t give up, with timely help seeking more chances to overcome this ailment.