Stammering but not bothered by it; Should we do anything? (long post sorry)

[SittingInTheKitchenSink]

School had 9 yo DS referred (with my bemused permission) to speech therapist for stammering. We didn't think of him as having a stammer actually... he takes a while to get some words out and can get a little stuck.

Yes - I know that sounds like the definition of a stammer but we just saw it as DS! He is clever and wants to take part in every adult conversation (esp where older sister concerned) and quite often I think this ties him in knots as he can't quite articulate what he is trying to say

Anyway speech assessment confirmed stammer. First therapy appt was a bit weird. We watched a video of kids stammering and DS didn't really relate to it (although he was able to give a very clear summary of all the different types of stammering he saw). The speech therapist wasn't quite sure what to do with him ... in the end the only exercise she gave him was to speak very slowly.

In conversation during session and afterwards, it turns out that he really doesn't think its an issue, and if he got teased, he just ignored it because he didn't think he did stammer.

He gets teased quite a bit anyway - he's prone to meltdowns at school, so the kids think it's amusing to push his buttons. However, stammering is not one of those buttons!!

Speech therapist and I wondered if group therapy might help. She hasn't found a group or another child to pair him with.

However she's now come up with an intensive course at a uni which is for young people from 10 to 18 y and they have spaces.

I'm a bit conflicted as to whether to send him to any therapy actually, esp an intensive course. Apparently having developed this quite late and been diagnosed even later, he's not going to get rid of this stammer. So therapy will be all about managing how he deals with the stammer

So I guess finally getting to the point of this ramble...

• he seems to be managing it fine. Should we send him to therapy or not? Could he get worse?

OR is it a good idea to send him so that he has the tools to deal with it later? I'm v nervous about him going to secondary school with a stammer

Anyway hope someone out there has some thoughts/experiences to share..

The stammering may be a symptom of stress caused by but not exacerbated by the teasing and social difficulty that you describe. As you say "it's just DS" and it is...but you know him inside out and will see these things from very close up if you see what I mean...so you don't see it as an issue but if the teacher has flagged it then it probably is an issue.

You want him to communicate with ease...I would send him to the therapy sessions. He might be managing the stammer but it's come about why? Because he's struggling socially? How long has this teasing been going on?

I should add...I have a 9 year old dd who was selectively mute as a smaller child and she's also very bright/quirky and I think if she wasn't now managing so well, I'd definitely have taken those sessions you've been offered.

Thanks for the thoughts... I hadn't actually considered that the social stresses might have caused it but it does make sense given the timings.

Will go and fill the forms in for the therapy group!!

Thanks sillylass
I'm a bit mystified as to why the stammering started at 7; so the anxiety idea seemed to fit.
Thanks for the info about the intensive courses - he'll enjoy that.