5yo DS stuttering - any advice?

[Lucylookout]

When DS first learnt to speak he had a stutter (at around 2 - 3 yo), and it's come and gone since then but has never been too bad and mainly seemed to only affect him when he was quite excited about telling someone something so I have ignored it and assumed it'll go away in its own time. In fact at times over the last year it almost seemed to be an affectation that he used to make sure he had someone's attention before launching in to whatever he wanted to say. The thing is though that over Summer it seems to have got quite a lot worse. Sometimes he talks very fluently, but at others he struggles a lot with getting the first letter of the sentence out (and other words mid sentence starting with Y, L, and W I think mainly). He is very 'fast' as a character and does everything at 100mph, he talks fast, thinks fast, moves quickly etc. This morning for the first time ever I talked to him about it (normally I wait for him to finish and then respond as if he had said his sentence 'normally'). He told me that sometimes he feels like he has too many words in his mouth and it's hard to get the right ones out in the right order. He said that even though it doesn't bother him particularly, some bigger boys at school have made fun of him about it . When i mentioned that he might be able to see someone who could give him a few tips and techniques to help him get his words out more smoothly he said he'd really like to do that. So, where do I go from here?

Hi, I'm an SLT. Your DS sounds lovely. It is great that he doesn't seem overly bothered by his stammer, but I feel cross on your behalf that other kids are making fun of him :( I would recommend contacting your local hospital and asking them if they have the number for Paediatric speech and language therapy. Parents are able to self refer, or you can wait and ask school or your GP. You have been doing all the right things: not asking him to slow down, waiting for him to finish his sentences. Make sure that you maintain eye contact with him and he gets plenty of time to talk. As he is aware of it, you could also ask him if he wants you to help him say the word if he is finding it tricky. I think speech and language assessment would be very beneficial - they will ask about the history of the stammer and will be able to give you some pointers or techniques to try, as you said. Really hope that helps, best of luck :)

DS is four and stammers. We got a referral to speech therapy through our GP.

He has been going to sessions for about three months and although it is not completely resolved yet, the difference is dramatic and it has really released him to communicate much more complex ideas and lengthly sentences.

We are continuing the sessions once he starts school.

It has been a massive blessing.

I'd highly recommend getting a referral or self referral if possible. And good luck.

Thanks clarky that's v useful. I felt really sad when he told me too. I'm so glad it doesn't seem to have dented his confidence (which is extensive!) but have emailed the head teacher telling him (in a friendly way, while also asking for assistance in getting help for DS).

And thanks Patilla, that's very reassuring to know that it has helped so much in a relatively short space of time. Did you have to wait long for your appointment after being referred?

Oh, and Clarky have you any advice on how DS might respond to someone making fun of him about his speech?

Hi Lucy, at think at this age, it is really important that any teasing is nipped in the bud as early as possible, and that will largely be down to the school. It might be useful for you to have a look at the British Stammering Association's website, www.stammering.org, they have a section about bullying. The fact that it is older children who are bullying your little boy makes it worse in my opinion, they should know better. I think it would be useful to have a chat, not just with the head teacher, but also his class teachers and TAs/lunch time staff - make them aware that this is happening. Personally, i would encourage your little boy to avoid the children as much as poss who are doing it and to talk to his teacher or someone else at school if it happens. I hope that helps... My oldest is 5 years old too and it feels to me like it is a really important time for them to be gaining in confidence and not having others undermine it. Someone else may have specific advice for you around bullying, that might be a bit more helpful. I have to admit, if someone ever said anything to my DS (who wears glasses for a squint), I would probably encourage him to say something like, 'well, it would be pretty boring if we all looked the same' before telling the teacher, in the hope it would let the bullies think he isn't bothered. But that is a Mum's view, rather than a professional SLT view!

In answer to your question we were seen for an assessment fairly quickly but then did wait a while for the therapy itself to start.

I have no experience but would suggest you should emphasise the bullying as it may encourage them to speed things up.

I hope things work out well for you, I've been amazed at how speech therapy has helped.

DS now says he wants to be a speech therapist when he grow up so he can chat to people all day, help them to fix their bumpy talking and so he can play games! You may have noticed that he loves his sessions!

Thanks so much, both of you