Speech impediment/ anxiety in 8yo DS

[Nateismine]

Please could someone give me some help or reassurance about my DS. He's always been a happy and easy child. He has a happy family life and seems to be happy at school- does well, has friends etc. 3 months ago he started to stutter quite a lot, now this has progressed to not stuttering, but not being able to get any words out at all. He tries to say something, and seems unable and then starts taking sharp intakes of breath- sometimes for about a minute until he is able to get the sentence out. It's not all the time but people are starting to notice.

A quick google and common sense suggests this is anxiety but he seems fine and tells me there is no problem.

Any advise, ideas, reassurance? Is this something the school will handle or do we need to get outside help?

Thanks

[Nateismine]

Bumping for help.

[user789653241]

Sorry, I don't have any experience of stutter, but didn't want leave it un answered.

My ds used to be a selective mute, so I can understand your worry.
If you are concerned, I would speak to school/teacher, maybe speak to gp as well.

That said, my ds sometimes stutters when he can't put his ideas in his head into words/speech quickly enough, but I didn't think it was something to worry about.

[Footle]

Speech and language therapy services are very overloaded so he'd wait a long time for a first appointment. I'd talk to school and the GP about it ASAP so as not to waste time before he gets a referral , if that's what's needed.

[notgivingin789]

I had a friend who was very worried about her DS stuttering and it was getting worse, he would also do kind of like jerky movements.. she later found out that her DS has Epilepsy.

Even though speech and language services are overloaded, that wouldn't stop me from seeking help or an assessment for my DS. The GP can't really do anything, he/she would most likely refer you to the speech therapist.

[motherforceawakens]

My son (9) has stammered for a while and recently has started to get stuck (normally at the beginning of a sentence, his face is tense but he is silent, eventually the word bursts out). With him it's not to do with anxiety (the cause of stammering rarely is). No one seems to be too sure what causes it. It can be genetic, is more common in boys and brain scans of stammerers shows their brains to be wired slightly differently. We go to the Michael Palin Centre for stammering in London. It is amazing. People from all over the country go there. It is NHS. Your GP can refer you or you can self refer. I hope this helps (their website also has lots of useful information on it).

[Footle]

Notgivingin, sorry, I need to make myself clearer as you've misunderstood me : it sounds as if this little boy needs an appointment with SLT, so his mum needs to start the ball rolling to get him referred ASAP.
OP , I hope you did understand that !

[notgivingin789]

Sorry footie I thought you were the OP and concluded that you would wait to see what the school have sad first then do the referral. But yes I understand what you mean.

[Footle]

Notgivingin, you can customise posts so the OP's posts are a different colour. I have trouble remembering nicknames too.

[Nateismine]

Thanks for your help. I'll book a GP appt and hopefully get a referral.

[Nateismine]

Motherfor how does your son cope? Does it effect his self esteem? Is therapy helping?

[motherforceawakens]

He sometimes gets a little frustrated but on the whole has a great attitude of 'it sometimes takes me a little longer to get things out but that's ok, people just need to wait'. He's really confident, enjoys public speaking, putting his hand up in class etc. He's quite amazing. The therapy has definitely helped us and the school to understand more about stammering and how to create an environment for him where it is easier for him to talk fluently (patience, not interrupting, eye contact, slow and calm speech patterns to name a few). More recently there has been more direct speech exercises with him, but it is more about coping strategies than curing the stammer. He might always have it or it might go and then come back in a time of stress. With strategies in place to deal with it he doesn't feel powerless.

[OzzieFem]

Can he try singing the words. Harrison Craig is a stutterer but singing is no problem, he went on to win the second series of The Voice Australia.