A sudden stutter in 6 year old ds

[leothelioness]

DS2 (nearly 6) has recently (over the last 2-3 months) began developing a stutter, he has always had really clear speech before then.
We have no family history of a stutter and it does not seem to be getting any better.
I am really unsure how to deal with this as
a) I dont want to make him to make him self conscious of it
b) Not sure what I can do to help
c) I am unsure if this could possibly be a learned response as his best friend from school stutters a lot
d) Should I take him to see the GP for possible speech therapist referal (is it better to start this as soon as possible)?

Sorry for all the questions I am just trying to find the best course of action for my DS

Thanks

Have you spoken to the teachers to see if he does it at school?

Does it get worse/better? Is it when he is over excited or upset?

Assuming he hasn't suffered any trauma or acute stress recently, he has probably picked it up from his friend. I would do a 'roundabout' conversation with him "its a pity X has that stammer - it must make it hard for him to get his words out sometimes... Are his teachers helping him with it? Uncle Z used to do this when he was little, but he grew out of it when he got bigger..."

First let me ask what is the correct term stutter or stammer (i'm not sure if there is a difference ir if one is more acceptable than the other)

Frontpaw no trauma at all nicely settled in school etc
I did speak to his reception teacher just before the end of term but she had not noticed and at that point is was really just the beginning, it seems to have developed more over the last 6 weeks.

I seems to get worse when he is talking fast normally when excited.

I am still not sure if it is even possible to have this a learned response.

Same thing - one is the US name, the other UK.

He is possibly copying his friend - in the way kids pick up words, pronunciations or accents.

It can be caused by shock, trauma etc (so after earthquakes you see a rise in stammering) but will wear off. Sometimes a child just speaks fast and gets either excited or self-conscious and it comes out then. It does sound like your lad is copying (possibly unconsciously) his friend.

Disclaimer - I am/was a therapist and had training to treat this.

Thanks frontpaw no no earthquakes either just lots of rain :)
I will wait and see if it gets any better for a while as in the holidays he is not spending much time with his friend.
Is there anything else I can do to help him?

Singing is good - this is a common exercise - and speaking on the phone.

Ask him or learn some poems to do a little recital for dad or granny.

You could play at making a tv show with him as the 'star' - demonstrating a toy new game or cooking something - and film the results. Kids love showing off and if he is engrossed in something, then he will be less likely to stumble his words.

Lots of kids do stumble over their words when trying to get them out quickly. Their brains work faster than their mouths sometimes!

It's not a 'big deal' but often can be made worse when there is an emphasis on it and they get self-conscious about it. If he starts stammering, calmly ask him to stop, take a deep breath, think about what he is trying to say and start again. Put a hand on his shoulder when you do this and speak slowly, looking him the eye and smiling. You will be able to calm him in time just by touching his shoulder (useful for lots of situations).

Thank you for all the great tips frontpaw. I understand that stammering in itself is not a big deal but as we are in the process of moving over the next few months I would hate for him to be teased because of it (hence the worry) when he starts his new school.