Stammer/Stutter, help as I've no idea.

[ronshar]

My DD2 has developed a stammer. It has been going on for a while now but it seems to have got alot worse since starting reception in September.
I have looked up, today, on the internet and it would seem that I have left it very late to get help.

What am I going to do? Have I let my baby down by thinking it would go away on its own?
I am waiting for the Speech therapy unit to call me back to get some more information.

Has anybody got any experince of Stammer/Stuttering and what advice can you give me.
I am feeling really guilty right now.

Ronshar, it is never too late to do something about it and you definitely haven't let anyone down.

I had a stammer from age 4 through to adulthood. I remember it came from feeling under pressure or nervous and the more people hassled me about it or put me on the spot the worse it got. My parents used to go on about it all the time and that definitely makes it worse.

It started getting better only when my English teacher (also deputy head) intervened when I was 11 and told all the other teachers in school to back off and give me room to relax.

Choose a speech therapist that your dd likes, who will tell you how to help. For me, it was not being pushed to read out loud until I wanted to, and lots of confidence boosting but I imagine everyone is different.

Hi I put a reply to a lady the other day about this, I will try dig it out and paste on here, my ds had this, don't panic there's loads you can do to help x

Don't worry. My son's stammer came and went and then came back again. It gets better or worse depending on whether he's stressed, or tired, or in a new situation. He's now 10 and has been having speech therapy which makes a real difference over time. There are so many techniques that they can teach, relevant to the nature of your child's stammer. There are very different triggers.
I apologise if this is not an option, but it might be useful to look into whether you can afford to get a private speech therapist, as it does speed up taking action. it's not cheap. And it depends how stretched your health authority's budget is. The Stammering Society has lots of useful info on line.
At 4 you've plenty of time to tackle it. The good thing is to get it assessed like you are. All the best.

Thank you for your replies ladies. It is good to know that it isnt that big a problem.

No one I know has a child who has or does stammer. So it is all new to me.

I think that the local health authority are pretty good with SALT. One of the mums at school is a secondary teacher and she was telling me that they have SALT in school every week for assesments etc. |
I think once you are known to the service they look after you.

I just feel I have let DD2 down by not doing something about it before.
I shall have to add it to the list of my other parenting failures

Honestly, you haven't let her down.

Why do you think this happens so often at the age of 4 ie when children are starting school?

Maybe that's why scandinavian schools don't start until 6 or 7.

My son has a stammer (or dysfluency as they now like to call it) He is deaf and signs as well which makes it doubly hard as he has to keep signing again and again as well! I have had a lot of support, the most important thing is to give them time to say what they want to say. Thats what i have been told!!

I am a teacher and had a boy in my class a number of years ago with a stammer. He appreciated having the time to say what he needed to without anyone finishing his sentences for him. However, sometimes when he was tired he'd say 'doesn't matter' when it plainly did, so I'd try asking a series of yes/no answer questions to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering him.

Ah that must be hard. Having to sign over and over.

Yes I do let her take her time. And it does help. I am still waiting to hear back from the SALT.

I think that we do start our children to early. DD2 is a September baby but even so she is so little and fragile.