Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Original poster

Really worried about stuttering in my 2.5 ds? Isn't there someone here who is a SALT?

29 replies

charmkin · 09/01/2008 19:42

Seems to be worse with tiredness. He has had phases of it but never this bad. He can barely get his words out and he's going all quiet and sad because of it. Feel so sorry for him.

Am seeing health visitor but don't hold much faith in them really. Am hoping for refferal to SALT, do you think I'll get it?

If so, what's the waiting time?

OP posts:
Original poster
charmkin · 09/01/2008 19:42

sorry
one f

OP posts:
Original poster
charmkin · 09/01/2008 19:46

?

OP posts:
FlameNFurter · 09/01/2008 19:52

I'm not SALT, but my DD was stammering a lot between about that age and 3.5 - she rarely does it now, mainly when she is tired.

I remember from when I was there as a child (well, from what my mum tells me), they said that my brain worked too fast for my mouth and language which was why it was getting messed up.

If you can encourage him to take a couple of deep breaths when it starts, and then continue it normally helps (well, it does me - I do it occasionally now when i am tired, and I find myself doing the breathing without consciously starting it)

Christywhisty · 09/01/2008 19:52

It is often a normal development stage. In one of my childrens' red/blue books it actually asks the question for one of the check ups,
"has your child passed the stuttering stage yet".

policywonk · 09/01/2008 19:53

moondog is a SALT I think (according to her post on a thread of mine today)

DarrellRivers · 09/01/2008 19:55

mine DD did it, similar age for just under 1 year
worried me loads though at the time.
it is more commonly normal development but speak to Salt for further info, your HV should be able to refer you

PellMell · 09/01/2008 19:56

I hope what I say helps and that someone else will be able to reassure you
I really think it's early to worry about this.
Stuttering or being unable to completely finish a word or sentance is really really common in this age group.
As their confidence grows and they relax whilst talking (however eager they are) you will probably find that the stuttering will become less frequent.
I have an 18 year old child with significant speech problems and a very talkative toddler.
dd2 age 2 and a half goes through periods where she stutters when she she hurries or is tired. She is incredibly bright and articulate and her mind is working faster than her mouth iykwim.
I try to slow dd2 down a bit and try never to appear concerned.
I hope you get some reassurance from my post.

PellMell · 09/01/2008 19:57

i type so slowly ,you've had loads of replies now

Rantmum · 09/01/2008 20:00

Like FlameNFurter, my ds stammered alot when he was around 2.5 and as his speech has improved and his memory has improved and he doesn't feel the need to verbalise every single thing that enters his head it has got much better and he rarely does it at all (in fact I had forgotten about it until I read your post and it was only 6 months ago that I was worrying about it!)

I think that Flame has given some good advice and I would add that it is best if you treat it as a developmental thing at this point and not let it stress you out too much(in much the same way that very small children can't say individual words properly the first time they say them, sentences can be very difficult to master for the little learners and pressure to say it properly could exacerbate the stuttering unintentially!)

cazzybabs · 09/01/2008 20:01

When dd2 was 2.5 she also stuttered but now aged 3 has grown out of it... I think it was she had so much to say she couldn't get it all out at once and also she didn't want to miss her turn in the converstion with dd1 who never shuts up.

I tried a pirvate SALT - although we never actaully saw her - but she said she would look at dd2 and see if she needed any extra help or not but she had grown out of it before I had chance to make the appoitment.

Rantmum · 09/01/2008 20:02

I type even slower pell

Rantmum · 09/01/2008 20:03

Also I need to return to school for some help with grammar.

cheechymunchy · 09/01/2008 20:06

You've just reminded me that DS was stammering when he was 2.6 (he's 3 next month). I worried a lot, and he was clearly getting frustrated, but as you can see it's now gone. I'd completely forgotten about that phase! It seemed to me that he had all these thoughts and things to say, but couldn't vocalise these as fast as he wanted.
Hope that helps, and try not to worry. It seems awfully common at that age.

Original poster
charmkin · 10/01/2008 08:14

thanks everyone
is good to know that it can be just a phase.
is so sad to see the change in him though.

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 10/01/2008 08:17

Both mine did this for a while. And it passed. Totally normal. Please don't worry.

Don't try to finish his words for him, don't call attention to it, and try not to get upset, just stay calm and it will resolve itself.

aGalChangedHerName · 10/01/2008 08:30

Charmkin,i don't have any experience of my own dc stammering but ds1's gf who is 16 has an incredibly awful stammer.

She has stammered since the age od 3 and has got steadily worse as time has passed. Her mum and dad were told it would go on it's own.

She can be so bad she has facial tics etc. So hard for her. Her nana has just booked and paid for her to attend the Starfish Project in February and we hope it can help improve or get rid of her stammer.

Flowertop · 10/01/2008 09:47

Hi my DS1 9 has a stammer which started at 2. I would just say although it probably is a phase (as I was told) just keep an eye on it. We did act swiftly and had lots of speech therapy when he started school which I believe has helped him. We too want to attend the starfish project but he is not old enough yet. It is supposed to be very good and I wish your DS's gf good luck AGal...
xx

aGalChangedHerName · 10/01/2008 10:05

Thanks Flowertop

It has held her back in so many ways.She always gets someone to go shopping/appts etc with her.

However she is confident in other ways. my dd1 who is 3.5 will always ask her to read her bedtime story and we all cringe for her but she does it so willingly. Takes forever but dd1 doesn't seem to notice,just loves my ds1's gf for doing it.

Will post here when she has been in february and let you know how it goes.

Original poster
charmkin · 11/01/2008 19:29

This is getting worse
he is now down to pointing at what he wants
he was previously a chatty, happy, bright boy

am beginning to think there is something seriously wrong

OP posts:
Original poster
charmkin · 11/01/2008 19:38

please help

OP posts:
Original poster
charmkin · 11/01/2008 20:08

.

OP posts:
pointydog · 11/01/2008 20:25

As others have said, try not to worry as this is often a normal stage. It happneded to dd1 when she was 2, gradually got worse over quite a number of weeks until one day she couldn't say a single word! Just long aa.aaa.aaa.aaa.aaa. I felt very sad for her too.

Have you spoken to health visiotr in meantime?

celandine · 17/01/2008 22:14

charmkin, please have a look at this website www.stuttering-specialist.com. It is by a guy called Tim Mackesy who is in the US and used to stutter himself as a child, cured himself and now treats children like your own. He emailed me when my ds started to stammer at 2.9 years. He is 5 this summer and completely fluent now. The best thing you can do for your son in the meantime is to listen, keep eye contact when he struggles, give him all the time in the world to speak and don't finish his sentences or interrupt him. Good luck. X

IndigoMoon · 17/01/2008 22:20

charmkin - just seen this.

dd was 2 nearly three and she started stammering one day! she was always a fab talker and her language skills were far and above her age.

she was due to turn 3 in the feb and it started in the october. at first it was ok and then got steadily worse. i nearly cried when she struggled to get her words out and said

" mommy my words dont work "

anyway just after that christmas she went mute! pointed and limited herself to only a few words.

i went to my gp in the january, my dad has a stammer and due to this and the fact that she was mute we were referred to a salt straight away. my two cousins are salts and they said it was best to get in the system as while it may go on its own it may not.

so in may time we started going but the problem was getting worse and in the end we were refered for lidcombe treatment. this started in jan 2007. it was hard work but dd started school with a good control over her stammer and now most of the time is fab!!! its still there but we have tools in place to reign it in.

it is worse when she is tired or excited.

my advice would be go to the gp and ask for a refferal. especially if he has gone mute.

Original poster
charmkin · 20/01/2008 18:28

thanks for all replies

have got refferal

in the mean time have let him sleep as much as he likes, when he likes ( within reason)

ok so we are having some broken nights and early mornings, but the speech thing is almost resolved...

still worried that when he starts nursery it will come back.

OP posts: