Thursday, April 9, 2009

News

I have spent the last few days stressing about "the call back" reading everything possible on the net on 2-3 year old stuttering and what to do. Realizing that for every site that said not to worry and to try doing this there was another that said the sky is falling and its up to you to hold it up.

Finally the sweetest woman called as I was running up three flights of stairs late for my Yoga class. After explaining to the nice lady that nope I'm not having a heart attack just 7 months prego running up steps to yoga. She giggled and offered to call back at a later time.

HA yea right. I took a seat right there on those steps and told her nothing was more important then her call and advise so give it to me doc.

She asked what "symptoms" were showing to worry me.

I rattled them off
  • She's almost 3 - has been talking full sentences sense she was one. Learning at least a word a day from 6 months.
  • Seemed to almost pick it up from her cousin, even though I know you can not learn to stutter.
  • Doesn't stutter on the letter so much as the word at the beginning of a sentence. like "what what what is that mom."
  • Or sometimes the middle and the beginning words. "what what what is tha tha that mom"
  • She knows she is stuttering and can't help it and asked me for help, so you know whatever we have to do we will do it.

Then she nicely told me how I am doing EVERYTHING wrong :) LOL

She believes that her vocabulary has out grown her fine motor skills. So Bella knows what she wants to say and her mouth just will not say it as fast as her mind is going. The therapist believes that with just home help she can grow out of her stuttering with in a few months.

She gave us great rules to follow that made sense to me.
  • Do not stop her mid-sentence to tell her not to stutter or slow down. (which is what I had been doing)
  • After she has a problem saying a sentence respond to her slowly and if possible repeat the same thing she asked in her question in your answer. So I would say "what is that Bella? ohh that's (insert whatever)"
  • Talk slowly to her so she knows its OK to take a breath and talk slow.
  • Make eye contact
  • Let her know she has your full attention. Tell her Mom is listening to you Bella.
  • Do Not tell her she is doing something wrong because that will cause a blockage and add more frustration.
  • Make sure any adults in her life know the "rules" so that she is getting the same message from everyone.

Then she told me to try that for a few months, that there was no magic number and trust my gut. (something I really love to hear from a specialist) Also to watch out for her voice to just give out on her. Like she can't say the letter M even though she is trying. To also watch out for frustration on her end. That way we can get her help before she chooses to stop learning all her new words. If any of those things start to happen give her a call back and she will see her right away.

I feel much better knowing what we can do here at home, I just hope she doesn't realize my heart breaks a little every time she has such a hard time saying what she wants to say.

Even if she is saying something mean to her mean old mom.

Well thankfully my mom reminded me that this Sunday is Easter not next Sunday... SO I'mbusy doing all the things I offered to do thinking I had an extra week.

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