The key facts
- Stuttering is most often observed in children aged two to six
- Family quarrels and lack of communication can negatively affect a child's speech
- Excessive fascination with gadgets and cartoons is another risk factor
What stuttering is and at what age it most often occurs
Stuttering is a disorder of speech fluency in which a person, while speaking, may repeat individual sounds or syllables, stretch them out, or have difficulty starting a word. This condition occurs both in children and in adults. Psychologist Dono Kulunchakova reported that among those who turn to specialists with stuttering, children aged two to six are often encountered. According to her, at the age of two a child's speech is only forming, and at five or six changes begin — moving to a new kindergarten group, preparation for school — which in some children are accompanied by fear and anxiety. She noted that in shy children who feel discomfort among unfamiliar people, difficulties with speech may manifest more strongly. At the same time, the specialist emphasized, it is wrong to explain stuttering solely by a child's character or timidity: hereditary factors and peculiarities of speech development also play an important role.
The influence of the family environment and gadgets
During the conversation, separate attention was given to an unhealthy atmosphere in the family, disagreements between parents and pressure on the child. According to Dono Kulunchakova's observations, frequent quarrels in the family and a child's life in constant fear and anxiety can negatively affect his or her speech. “Young parents may lack experience in raising a child. Because of various quarrels and conflicts, the child develops fear,” she noted. The psychologist also addressed children's excessive use of phones and other gadgets. According to her, in some families a child spends most of the day watching cartoons or videos, while adults do not give him or her enough communication. “Children of four or five are brought to us whose speech has not yet formed. No one talks to them at home,” the specialist said.
