Has ds got a speech problem, or is this normal?

[tiredandgrumpy]

ds (nearly 6) often struggles to express himself. He's always saying 'umm' and seems to get stuck finding the word.

dh doesn't think it's a problem - says ds' brain has so many things it's thinking of that he loses track of what he's saying.

He is a bright child with an excellent vocabulary. He seems reasonably confident and I'm always very careful not to show impatience or chivvy him along. Should I be worried?

Do you think he has a stammer?

If this is the case, I would get a referral for an assessment with an slt.

I some areas you can refer yourself, in some you need to go via the GP. Ask your GP surgery for the contact details of the slt department to find out.

If it turns out not to be a stammer, no harm done

Sounds to me like your DH is right. I wouldn't worry. I think my DS is a bit similar: he often starts a sentence and repeats first few words few times before finally saying it in its entirety. He's 7 and v. bright, I think it's just too many things on his mind, it's sort of hard for him to focus iyswim.

My friend was like this as a child...his parents sent him to public speaking/drama lessons to get his brain to tune into his speech (he thought faster than he could speak) which he says really helped him and made his life much easier.

As an adult he is a really confident speaker.

Thank you - so glad to hear your thoughts. Drama sounds an excellent idea. I may look into it as friends have recommended this sort of thing as it builds confidence generally anyway. dh would love the result if he ended up a confident speaker - ds would def take after him rather than me!