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Original poster

Sudden stuttering

12 replies

sarimillie · 08/04/2010 19:36

My chatty 2.5 yo dd has started stuttering. Does anyone know why this might be, or have experience of it? It's not holding her back from chatting(!) and I haven't talked to her about it. Not sure if it's just a question of her tongue struggling to keep up with her need to communicate, or something else?

OP posts:
mum2JRC · 08/04/2010 19:54

My son was just over 2 when he developed a stutter. It is extremely common at this age as they are having an explosion in their language and have so much to say. It is often excacerbated when tired or excited.

The British stammering Association has some great information to help your DD www.stammering.org

My son is now 3 years and 2 months. We got referred to a Speech and Language therapist as it was getting worse. They do a workshop for parents initially here and only see the child when you've worked on some of the ideas provided (similar advice to what's on the stammering site)

A week before going to the workshop I posted on here saying that my DS was stuttering all the time (most sentences) and was getting extremely upset and avoiding words. Then suddenly a few days later he seemed to start to overcome some of it.
He's been so much better in recent weeks and he's not stuttering significantly anymore and only hear a few sounds repeated throughtout the day. This is of course worse when excited and tired.

The Speech therapist said that even though it is improving it will probably not disappear straight away but you are looking for the periods of stuttering reducing and the time between bad patches extending. We are definitely seeing this so hoping he is overcoming it now.

The Speech Therapist said she liked to see parents quite soon after it started. We had seen the GP and they said wait and see but we could of probably benefited from the Speech and Language advice last year so might be worth seeking some advice.

Original poster
sarimillie · 08/04/2010 20:44

Mum2JRC - thank you so much for your very helpful message. Reassuring to hear taht it's quite common, and I will have a look at the site you mention. I hope your ds continues to make progress.

OP posts:
bruffin · 08/04/2010 22:41

It actually says in my dcs blue/red book for one of the check ups "Has your dc passed the stuttering stage?"

Dcs are 12 and 14 so I don't know if it is still in the books, but it was obviously seen as a normal stage at one time.

tiredlady · 08/04/2010 22:47

Ds1 went through a stuttering phase when he was about 3 and a half. It literally came on over night, out of the blue

It was awful and he was really distressed. His jaws would kind of lock and he just couldn't get a single word out. It was utterly utterly dreadful, he stopped speaking altogether.

Then after about 10 days, it passed as quickly as it came, and he has been fine ever since.

Original poster
sarimillie · 09/04/2010 07:57

The stuttering stage - that's a comforting phrase, as is the thought that it might all just take ten days or so to resolve. Will have a look at the red book and see if it's still there...

OP posts:
Bensmum76 · 09/04/2010 08:38

My DS 2.6 years old has stuttered on and off for about six months. The last few weeks its been quite bad and seems to be on certain words. We just ignore it but look at him when he's stuttering and try to wait patiently for him to get the words out. Today of the first time he stopped trying and said 'Can't say it'. I will go on the website advised here to have a look to see if my DH and I can help him.

realitychick · 09/04/2010 19:47

My son stuttered badly for over a year at that age - I'd forgotten until I saw your post. Their brains run on faster than their mouths so they repeat the word they're on until they can catch up with their ideas. MY son's fine now. Might juts mean he's going to be talkative.

IWillNotNeverEatATomato · 09/04/2010 19:59

My DS1 started stuttering around his 3rd birthday and it was really bad, after he had been speaking really clearly for ages,

I was very worried because it was practically every word and every sentence. and it took alot of for me to let him finish without ending his words/sentences for him.

but it is starting to get better again (four months later),
and he has regular sentences without any stuttering,
it is still worst if he is tired but I am no longer worried and I believe he will grow out of it fully eventually

zapostrophe · 09/04/2010 20:04

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Original poster
sarimillie · 12/04/2010 05:15

Really helpful to hear your experiences - thank you. We have been slowing everything down - talking, outings etc - and will see how things go...

OP posts:
chimchar · 12/04/2010 06:28

my ds started to stutter when he was about 5.5...it co incided with the birth of dc3. it got to the stage that he literally couldn't speak two words without stuttering and taking forever with it. it took us about a year to get an appt with a SALT by which time, things had improved loads. all of a sudden, it just stopped, as quick as it had started. he's 9.5 now, and no sign of it at all anymore.

good luck!

kickassangel · 12/04/2010 06:38

tis vv normal & usually just disappears. usually a sign of excitement/emotion.

dd did it for several months, then it just faded away again.

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