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Tamil Nadu
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Chennai
CHENNAI: Stammering is a fairly common problem that predominantly affects boys and can be easily treated. But scepticism among parents about treatment methods is a hindrance, say speech therapists. Stammering is a physiological disorder that can be corrected if not cured completely. A few voluntary organisations offer several treatment options but parents hesitate to approach speech therapists for a remedy. Therapists say one in 100 children could suffer from the disorder and a regular treatment regimen and follow-up could help the child manage the problem very well. Lack of therapists is also a deterrent. Members of the Chennai Chapter of The Indian Stammering Association say stammering is more pronounced while speaking to strangers. The problem could be hereditary, or be caused by tension, anxiety, fear and inferiority complex. Association member V. Manimaran says many persons with the problem shun public life. “Left untreated, stammering not only affects the self-esteem, but also interpersonal relationship and professional life,” he says. Speech pathologist A.D.S.N. Prasad, who has treated over 600 patients so far, dispels myths about using pebbles to help the tongue roll in the mouth. “Sometimes a perfectionist mother who expects too much of the child could be the cause. Mothers may expect the baby to talk like an adult. This makes the child wonders whether to talk,” he explains. “Children who have come early for treatment have improved. Some of them have unlearned the habit and are now doing extremely well as professors too.” Prakash Bhoominathan, associate professor at Sri Ramachandra University, has noticed that there are four peak periods when people seek his help: during kindergarten, while leaving school or college and before marriage. “Diagnosis must be done early and this can be done only by speech pathologists. Older people would have formed their own patterns of speech that need to be unlearned. More boys than girls suffer from the problem,” he says. “It is the air that you expire that becomes speech. A lack of co-ordination at the level of breathing or at the level of voice generation or the inability of the organs in the mouth to move at a particular speed and force could cause the problem.” The reaction to a stuttering by the listener could also aggravate the problem, he says. “It is like a gait we adopt to adjust a problem we have when we walk. There is no complete cure and they learn to adjust and react. Those who stammer do not have a problem while singing because it does not require planning,” he says. The Association, which will hold its first national meeting this month-end, is planning to buy training equipment and rope in speech therapists to train members, says S.Sivasubramanian, a member. “You need confidence, constant practise and patience to overcome the problem.” Peer support is significant for children to recover, says schoolteacher Jayashree Arun. “Teachers and students should lend psychological support. But, as the children move to the higher secondary level, individual attention to them may not be given due to academic pressures,” she says. Sri Ramachandra University, which has a support group for people who stammer, organises summer camps for children to provide them training.
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