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Original poster

Sudden stuttering in 3.5 yo

12 replies

Hodel · 22/05/2011 15:29

My dd1 3.5 has always been extremely verbal and has advanced vocabulary and grammar for her age (at least it seems that way when I hear her with her peers). She began speaking very early and is very focussed on communicating. She chats pretty much non-stop from morning to night. For the past few months she has been stumbling on her words now and then, but nothing that I would think is out of the ordinary. It always struck me that her brain was racing ahead of her mouth. But today it suddenly got very bad and later so bad that she couldn't get words out at all. She was getting stuck on the same word over and over and then would scream it. She would then say a sentence over & over. She was clearly distressed and even asked me what was wrong with her. I acted calm and didn't show my concern, but I haven't been able to stop crying now that I have a moment. I'm scared to Google. Can anyone give me some reassurance? :(

OP posts:

MrsTruper · 22/05/2011 18:10

My daughter was lisping quite badly, even though she is very articulate. I found a video on youtube (from a professional) which gave me a few steps to try..one year later - all gone!

I just checked and there are some videos on youtube about stammering in young children, maybe try there.?

25goingon95 · 22/05/2011 21:28

Oh its so worrying isn't it, i know how you feel. My DD has had a stammer since she was 2 and she is now 5 and still stammering :( She started off how you describe your DD, and now she doesn't really get stuck anymore but sounds like this "muuuuuuuuummy" or "caaaaaaaaan i have" or "what are you dooooooooing" Its bloody awful for us to watch her struggle to get the words out and she gets so annoyed with herself.

We have had 2 years of speech therapy but they said she is too young really to do anything other than lidcomb technique which helped a little. We are now back on the list for more therapy but as DD has got much worse recently and is self conscious about it we are going to go private to get seen ASAP.

Ive been crying for weeks now too :( So worried that my DD may not grow out of it as it has been 3 years for us. Get a referral to speech therapy as soon as you can, better to start it early. Good luck! And know that you are not alone in your worry!

moajab · 22/05/2011 22:11

Have you had any changes in your life recently? My son started stammering around the age of 3 and it was always triggered by a change, for example we moved house and when his new brother arrived. However it didn't have to be a major upheaval. Once it was triggered by just having some family visiting for a few days. Our HV told me that it was nothing to be worried about and that it would sort itself out, which it did.

treesinthebreeze · 23/05/2011 12:04

I would say it's relatively normal. My dd went through this for quite a while last year (can't remember the exact age) but she's much improved now she's 4.3. She too was an early talker and good communicator, using vocab beyond her years. Obviously it's something to keep an eye on but I'm sure it's exactly what you say it is - her brain working faster than her mouth.

Original poster

Hodel · 23/05/2011 15:26

Thanks all for the reassurances. We definately do have major changes going on right now, with an international move pending plus I'm heavily pregnant with dc2. DH went off on a biz trip last night and she was clearly agitated about him leaving. He's very hands-on and she really notices when he is not around. I sort of guessed this was the trigger. Today again she was properly stammering on sounds "w", "l", "d" and then changing sentences to avoid having to struggle, sighing a lot, and asked what was wrong with her voice.

I'm obsessing and feeling overwhelming panicked, although I know rationally that even if it doesn't pass that we can deal with it. It's just the combination of being hormonal & pg, on top of seeing her get frustrated and frankly not sounding like my wonderfully articulate girl, that is making me deeply :(

OP posts:

25goingon95 · 23/05/2011 22:08

Oh Hodel. It is heartbreaking isn't it. Have a hug from me

My DD is exactly the same. We just made an appointment today to see a private speech therapist later this week. Can't wait another few months to see NHS speech therapist because im hardly sleeping or eating through the stress of worrying about how my DD is getting on at school with this stammer :( Fingers crossed that it passes soon for your DD.

boolifooli · 23/05/2011 22:27

My Dd did this, developed a really severe stammer over a few days when she was 3. I self referred her to salt but by the time we saw them the stammer had long gone, as rapidly as it started after a few weeks of getting stuck on the initial sound and repeating it 10 times or so.

Original poster

Hodel · 24/05/2011 03:46

25goingon95 thank you so much for the virtual hug. It sounds like you need one too! I hope it passes for your DD soon too, as so many on here seem to suggest.

I had a chat with the GP and was completely reassured that is not a sign of an underlying serious problem. In my hormonal state, my mind went straight to neurological diseases. I was good to have someone tell me to chill out! (Not that I do... but at least it's good to hear).

If this is any reassurance, the GP told me that her brother suddenly developed a serious stammer in his childhood, but through speech therapy and speech & drama classes, was able to manage it and now he tours the world as a keynote speaker and well-respected Medical Professional... so her point was either way it's not a big deal :)

OP posts:

25goingon95 · 24/05/2011 11:53

Thanks for sharing that Hodel. I feel really alone in this worry, it is good to hear positive stories :)

why didn't my DDs stammer suddenly disappear soon after it started age 2yo :(

DELHI · 24/05/2011 13:52

My DD had a stammer at around 3. It went away and then came back when she was about 8-9. It's been there ever since, sometimes quite bad, sometimes hardly noticeable. She had NHS therapy about 3 yrs ago ( she's 12 now)It was a group set-up, about 3-4 kids of varying levels of stammering, and they were taught breathing and techniques to try to 'smooth' their speech and disguise the stammer. It seemed to help a bit, but recently it got worse again. She has started with a private speech therapist 1 to 1, about 4 weeks ago, and I can already see improvement. Completely different approach, though, no attempting to disguise the stammer, rather advised to let it out and the less concerned about it you are, the less likely you are to stammer - that's the theory- DD had lisp as well,since private therapy that has almost gone, simply by re-training herself not to poke her tongue out when she says a ssss sound. It's hard work, but she's very determined.My advice would be to seek help if you're the least bit concerned and if you can possibly afford it, go private.

HipHopOpotomus · 24/05/2011 23:09

My DD also has had similar experiences. Her speech and vocabulary are well advanced too. It comes and goes. We ask her to take her time, relax, take some breaths etc. It was worrying At first but we view it as a sign her brain is going too fast for her to physically keep up which is doc's opinion too.

Sounds like you all have a lot on. Best of luck with the move and new baby.

Mishy1234 · 25/05/2011 07:37

DS1 did a similar thing when he was about 2.5. His vocabulary had just increased rapidly and and DS2 had recently arrived on the scene. We were referred to see a SALT, but by the time we saw her it had gone. She said that children often have and episode of stammering or stuttering when they suddenly increase their vocab. Apparently they are kind of stalling for time to choose the right word.

I would start the ball rolling to see a SALT, but in the meantime the advice I got was to never interrupt them or finish their word/sentence. Always give them time to speak if they are in a group (e.g nursery). Also, make sure you're not speaking too fast when you're around her.

This is advice I got from our SALT. I'm not qualified in any way.

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