Pressure to "speak properly" can deepen a child's fear of speaking, says Nair Hospital doctor

"Speak properly", "don't stammer", "say clearly what you are saying". Words casually said to children can sometimes plant a fear of speaking itself. If a child stumbles while learning language and is repeatedly interrupted, teased or scolded, the child's confidence can falter. The thought of stumbling again can make the stammer worse. It is therefore considered important to see stuttering not as a speech defect but as a problem linked to a person's confidence.

International Stuttering Awareness Day is observed on October 22, and the issue has come up for discussion again on the occasion. Stuttering means repetition of words or syllables while speaking, prolongation of sounds, or blocks in speech. Young children may stumble while learning language, but that is not always a sign of stuttering. It is important to have specialists examine what form the stumbling takes, how long it has been going on and how it is affecting conversation.

According to Dr Jyoti Mohite, head of the audiology and speech therapy department at Nair Hospital, breath, voice and pronunciation must be properly coordinated while speaking. If this process is obstructed anywhere, stumbling in speech can appear. A bad experience, fear of speaking before people or earlier ridicule can add to the mental pressure. Some people have difficulty speaking before strangers, while others feel tense even in front of people they know.

Speech therapy is used to work on many kinds of speech difficulties, including stuttering. Nair Hospital runs a speech therapy outpatient department every day, where at least 50 to 60 patients are given therapy. New patients are also admitted alongside those who come for regular treatment. Some of them come to Nair after failing to get the help they needed even after treatment at private hospitals.

Speech therapy is not needed only for stuttering. It is also needed by patients with speech difficulty caused by paralysis, patients whose speech is affected by a cleft lip, and people with other communication problems. The aim of the treatment is not only clear speech but also that a person can communicate again and take part confidently in everyday life.

Dr Mohite said many people come for treatment late because they do not know about speech therapy. Some techniques are taught in therapy and practised in sessions. She said Nair is a speech therapy centre that began 60 years ago and is the first such centre in South-East Asia. She said there are also few centres that teach speech therapy, and the administration should note this. In the state, there are only three such centres: Nair, Ali Yavar Jung and Bharati Vidyapeeth.

According to Dr Mohite, if someone in a family stammers and therapy is continued without a break, the person can speak without stumbling. She said this needs awareness from both the administration and parents.