Stammering

[TabithaTwitchet]

DD is 3 and has just started to stammer - or at least I think she has - she sometimes repeats the sound at the end of a word in the middle of a sentence (usually t or s) before saying the rest of what she was about to say. Sometimes she doesn't say anything subsequently - bit confused by that as I thought generally stammering was because you were stuck on what you were about to say rather than what you have already said.

She doesn't seem bothered by it, I have made a joke of it a couple of times, and she has squealed with laughter and deliberately done it more.

It doesn't seem stress related - she is just as likely to do it when talking to her toys as to me.

She is going through a bit of upheaval recently - moved house, new baby due soon - so I thought maybe that would be the reason.

My instinct is to not make a big deal of it and see what happens over the next few months. We are not in the UK and don't speak the local language, so I am uncertain how helpful a referral with speech and language therapy would be, and I think maybe it is too early anyway, I should give it a chance to sort itself out. I know it is fairly common for young children to occasionally be a bit dysfluent. I just thought that doing it at the end of words was a little unusual, but maybe it isn't.

Has anyone else been through similar? What was the outcome?

It seems a common thing in children before the age of 5. I know both of my DS's have suffered with it on and off. It usually corrects itself so I have been told and is not necessarily anything to worry about as its just to do with the fact that children are learning so many words at this time and they are trying to get them out quicker than they can quite manage!

I would do nothing unless you or she are bothered by it and it carries on for years to come and/or gets worse.

One of my friends got help for her son I think at 4, but his was quite bad and distressing him (and her). My son, 4.5, stammers occasionally and stammered quite bad at 2.5-3 but I see it just as part of his language development. When it was bad it was bad for most of his peers too so it was easy to see as a stage as it was.

Thanks - I think that reinforces what we were thinking - just monitor for the moment but do nothing and hope it is just a stage!

I think your instinct is absolutely right and I also agree with what sparkle said.

Both of mine have been through a stammering phase and in both cases it went away.

I think at this age they are developing so quickly and sometimes their minds are working faster than their mouths are able to form the words - and also they are playing with the sounds that they can make. My ds is 3 too and was a very early, clear talker but has recently started adding an extra vowel to lots of his words - it makes him sound like he has a Geordie accent!

Hello, I work at the British Stammering Association and was a bit concerned about some of the comments above, so thought I should write something.

As has been said, it is quite common for children to experience difficulties with their speech- around 5% of children under the age of 5 will do so. Around the age of 2-3 is when most children start to stammer, although it can develop at a later age.

In the majority of cases, they will naturally outgrow it. However, we do not advise that parents leave it to correct itself, as some of the posts above have said, as up to a quarter of children are at risk of developing chronic stammering which may persist into adulthood without intervention during the pre-school years.

Therefore, we advise anyone concerned about their child's stammer to get their child assessed by a Speech and Language Therapist as early as possible. It's never too early to act. By getting in touch with the British Stammering Association, we can give you direct contact details of your local NHS therapy service where you can refer yourself without having to go through your GP.

If you are concerned, phone our helpline (local rate) on 0845 603 2001 or email [email protected].

Stammering can affect children in lots of different ways -some will block at the start of sentences, some midway, and others at the end. Some will repeat sounds.

The exact causes of stammering are not yet fully known, but new research is suggesting that it might be genetic. There is no evidence that parents cause stammering, so don't blame yourselves.

Please see this link for parents of under 5's from our website, which gives tips on what to do in the home to support your child: www.stammering.org/under5.html

And here is a link for older children: www.stammering.org/parents_info.html

For more information about stammering in general see our website www.stammering.org.

I hope this helps
Steven
British Stammering Association