I find Ds' stammer exhausting!

[2tontess]

Ds 1 age 4 (just) has developed a stammer. He's always had a little bit of one, particularly when excited but in the last 2 -3 months it has got a lot worse and I find it completely exhausting!

He attends nursery 5x mornings a week (they have noticed it worsening too) and is home in the afternoons when DS2 takes a nap. He is a real chatterbox and there is not a 30 second period in the day when he is not talking. The fact he stammers makes it all the more tiring - does anybody else know where I'm coming from?

I feel quite guilty about feeling this way as I know he cannot help it, however it is wearing me out! Dh works long hours and makes it home for bathtime but apart from nursery I am on my own.

I haven't spoken to any professionals re: the stammer as I was hoping it was a passing phase - I am aware that many children have them. Teacher friends have also said to leave it be for now. I think I will mention it to the HV though.

Why do you find it exhausting?

I do know what you mean. My nephew has a stammer and spending long amounts of time with him is tiring because you have to concentrate so hard on what he is trying to say.

I can't offer any practical help I'm afraid. My nephew is having speech therapy which is helping. I don't think you should feel guilty for finding it exhausting. Concentrating hard for long periods of time is tiring and that is what you are having to do.

That's it RedFraggle, it is the concentration. It is very difficult when you know he's trying to tell you that the train has crashed in the tunnel but it takes him 5 minutes to tell you!

I find DS 2 far easier as his speech is perfectly clear at 2.5. If he wants a drink he asks and I sort it out. When DS1 asks, I have to stop, listen and wait until he finishes - it all seems to take so much longer.

I find it much easier when Dh is around, I guess it lessens the load a little as Ds talks to both of us. Sometimes I'm not sure if it's the constant chattering or the stammer that wears me out!

I'm not sure that there's anything you can do to make it less exhausting for yourself at the moment really. I would mention it to the HV though. Teachers often say to ignore stammers as for some children it does pass. Hopefully it is a passing phase for your ds, but there's no harm in asking for advice just in case.

It probably is just a passing thing. For most kids it is. It wouldn't hurt to seek some advice though. Particularly if he is getting "stuck" on words, rather than just effortlessly repeating words multiple times or if it's been going on for 6 months or more.. (SLT here, but I don't work with kids - just remembering stuff from my studies).