4 year old in Reception year stutters, should I worry?

[LittleAbruzzenWerewolf]

The only time DS1 doesn't stutter is if he is talking about something he loves, like Toy Story or cycling/Mark Cavendish, but everything else he does. Is this normal, or should I worry or be doing anything to help him?

[Greensleeves]

I have a 10yo who stuttered when he was this age and it did worry me - he has Aspergers and is very very verbose, and when he was littler I think his mouth struggled to keep up with his brain, talk used to just tumble out of him and he struggled to form his words.

He doesn't stutter at all now (nor does he ever shut up)

I would say don't draw attention to it, give him plenty of time to answer and talk , to minimise any anxiety he may have about it. And definitely talk to his teacher about it and see whether he is having the same issue at school. You could request a SALT referral - seeing a specialist doesn't mean there is anything wrong with him, but it might help him get through it more easily and it may put your mind at rest too.

[LittleAbruzzenWerewolf]

Thank you, I didn't want to make an issue out of it, but didn't want to ignore it either.

[Lavenderhoney]

Not sure f I agree with ignoring it. My ds stuttered at that age and the specialist said ignoring was nt helpful as it entrenched the stutter. There might be a specialist aligned to your school whom you could talk to?

Does your ds know he is stuttering? I used to say oops, bumpy talking, and say the sentence mummy, can I have a - and let him finish the sentence he was trying to say. Do not force him to say a word without stuttering, and do not make him nervous, ie not overdo the praise.
You will need to get the teacher involved as she will need to work with you doing the same plus an TA's. If the teacher says she had no idea he used bumpy talking, it's because at school they tend to ask yes and no questions. But she should be aware.

He is relaxed at hime when discussing toys etc as he knows the words. Best thing is talk with him loads out n walks, over a game with no tv, and he will self correct- oops mummy, bumpy talking...until it goes away.

[LittleAbruzzenWerewolf]

Thank you. I will be speaking to his teacher about it just in case. I do try and talk to him about all sorts, especially when we walk to school. I hope it's not my fault, I am a typical gemini who talks a lot and very quickly. I do try to speak slowly for him.

[Greensleeves]

my ds would have been a nervous wreck if I had said "oops, bumpy talking" every time he stuttered. I think that's terrible advice, sorry.


but I think our very different responses indicate that it would definitely be best to speak to a specialist - I would start with his teacher and the school SENCo and see if they think he needs a referral for SALT. There are myriad reasons why a child may stutter and we can't tell very much from a post on MN.

best wishes to you and your little boy x

[Nancyclancy]

My ds used to stutter and has only stopped in the last couple of months. (He's 8 yrs.) He'd been doing it for about 18 months and has had severe speech delay.
I really panicked because it's not unusual in pre schoolers but it is less common the older they get.

It used to be so bad that sometimes it made me cry watching him struggle. The school were aware and were fantastic for not putting him on the spot. He also saw a speech therapist.

A lot of people say ignore it but as Lavenderhoney has said, it's not very helpful. We made a point of never interrupting him or saying anything negative but what we did do when it was really, really bad was to get him to stop what he was saying, have a little think and to try again. (Bit easier to explain as he's older.) But my ds wasn't worried by his stutter so that approach worked for us. But that would depend on your ds. If it was his 'normal stutter' we were just patient and waited for him to finish with no interruption from us.

I am also a fast talker and have had to slow right down when having a conversation with him, still do make a point now.

Our school were brilliant and the amazing thing was that no child in his class ever picked up on it. So he never lost confidence.

Anyway last week he was signed off from the speech therapist! [hsmile] We did work out that his stutter was worse when he had learnt new words and was trying to use them in conversation. Once he worked it out, the stutter would ease off. Like what Greensleeves has mentioned - their mouth struggles to keep up with their brain.

Tell his teacher your concerns, so that she doesn't expect too much from him and maybe get referred for SALT.

Good luck! x

[Lavenderhoney]

Greensleeves, it's not terrible advice, it's what was discussed and agreed in my ds case as he knew he he was stuttering and wanted to stop. It was a way of helping children and worked for us. He did do when tired and trying o speak o quickly. It totally depends on the child, but ignoring stuttering and hoping it will go away will not be a service to a child IMO