A COMMON AFFLICTION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 258, 26 July 1920, Page 8

A COMMON AFFLICTION

REMARKS ON STAMMERING ' EDUCATIONIST'S VIEWS "Stammering is an extremely common dofect of speech, particularly among .children," said Jlr. .f. E. Stevens (director of the School for the Deaf at Sumner), in addressing, members of tho Teachers' Institute last' week. "Very fortunately," Air. Stevens proceeded, "a great many'., children who stammer get cured or cure themselves of the habit when they grow up. There are about five times as many children who stammer as there are- adults who stammer. KW they get cured, no one can say. Possibly they get cured through unconsciously adopting tho only course that will completely cure stammering. But unfortunately there is a very largo number of people whoso efficiency is very seriously diminished by the fact that they stammer. "The cause of stammering arises in nothing whatever that is defective in the vocal organs; and though there are differences of opinion on this point, I am strongly of opinion that it arise? from nothing defective in the brain itself. On tho contrary, it has been my experience flint stammerers are to be found among tho more intelligent of our pupils. I have not yet found any stammerer of defective intelligence. Stammerers as a rule aro bright children who rant to associate with other people and who have an extremely sensitive organisation. , "Stammering is in some cases caused by imitation; in others it is due to shook or fright; but it is always due to soniP interference with natural speech. It in a very peculiar thing that a boy who leorus to stammer by imitating, another boy is as difficult to cure as a boy who has acquired ths hhbit in some other fashion. Some cases are exceedingly difficult to cure, and one never knows when one has wrought a cure. I have had cases in which I have bran absolutely certain that the pugils wcire •finished with their stammering, and yet I havo afterwards heard that they "were stammering; again. "My advice to parenta of stammering children is to send them to the special class and get them trained in the proper way; then when the children are turned out as cured, to send thfewi back' again, at the very first recurrence of irouble. If the stammerer will patiently assist the teacher he will'ha cured eventually. It may. be a. long and tedious process, but it is'one in .which you can nave the sure and certain knowledge of a euro if you set your mind to it..

"Tliei first thing to do- with' stammering children is to get them calm. Give them plenty of time, and encourage them when they aro speaking- properly No one can sprak while drawing a breath! That is a thing that stammerers often try to do."