How can I help a stammer??

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I had one growing up, my dad too, and DD has developed one.

I know that for me, it is down to my brain working faster than my mouth and everything getting jumbled. I have to pause and take a breath, and then it flows again.

DD is only 3 and doesn't really grasp the pausing and taking a breath yet.

It seems to be on the end of the word, before the next one

"I want to eatttttttttttttttttttttt apple"

The letter varies, but mainly "t" and "s".

I am trying to be patient, not finish her sentences etc (and not laugh, which is proving the most difficult because the look of concentration on her face is soooo sweet ).

Is there anything else I should be doing, or just let it work itself out?

My son has one but he's 6 and I tell him to stop and take a breath and start again. I don't have any advice as to what else you can do but hopefully someone else might.

Dd1 had one for a while - probably at 2 or 3. It was hard to be patient, but it did disappear quickly - on the day I had an appointment about it!

Don't draw her attention to it at this stage. Stammering begins as a neurological thing, children who are disfluent can't help it as their brain just can't handle language/speech as well at the moment.

What renders a stammer permanent (in my opinion) is drawing a child's attention to their own speech such as giving well-intentioned advice such as "slow down". This gives them a clear message that their speech is somehow wrong and they then become self-conscious and try not to stammer which creates tension and unnatural speech patterns which can last throughout their lives. Let her stammer freely for as long as it doesn't bother her.

If it starts to bother her a lot and she seems upset, or is substituting words or avoiding talking, find information on the Lidcombe Programme which is therapy aimed at pre-school children and has a massive success rate. Catching a stammer before the child begins to fear it or really know they have a problem is key. It's almost definitely a phase, especially as she's a girl, but try to make her confident about her speech, however she expresses herself.

I stammer, my dh stammers and my 2.10 yr old ds recently started stammering. I know about this stuff and the reasons behind speech difficulties. I'm doing exactly what I advise you to and am confident that he will be ok. I accept his speech with natural ease, never bring his attention to it, ask less questions, never interrupt, and try to make talking FUN!!

Thankyou :)

I will keep an eye on her, but let her stammer to her hearts content. It didn't occur to me that I could make it worse by trying to help

I was told by speach therpy to tell my ds to stop and take a breath. Maybe this isn't the way to go then. He doesn't stammer when he talks in his sleep.

When dd was around 4, she started to stammer. The speech therapist (who my son was seeing for something unrelated) said that it was a common phase for children of that age, and that she would grow out of it.

We ignored it and it went. Now she never shuts up!