Recent stammer

[Thaigal]

Just lately I've noticed that whenever I'm talking to someone and I get slightly nervous I start to stutter, I don't think I had this problem as a child.

An example of this was earlier on, the phone rang, I picked it up expecting it to be a certain person and it was a bloke who had phoned the wrong number, it caught me off guard and istead of just saying "sorry, wrong number" I uttered a string of jumbled up words before finally getting out the end of the sentance and shutting up, the bloke who was obviously confused just said "pardon?" so it was obviously noticable!

I am quite a nervous person but this stuttering is relatively new but it is quite rare that it happens....anyone have any experience of it?

Hi there. I'm a Speech and Language Therapist. It is quite normal for people to experience episodes of dysfluency now and again, especially when under pressure. The reason people stammer is not known, most children go through a natural dysfluent stage at around 3 or 4 years of age and grow out of it by about the age of 6. They do this to hold the listener's attention..to fill in the gaps so the listener knows they haven't finished speaking... Some people have a greater tendency towards hesitancies and repititions than others but we all tend to do it at times. The phone can be particularly difficult for someone who stammers as you can't see the listener's reactions. If you watch two people having a real conversation, just notice how many times they repeat words and say things like "em em" . There's one school of thought that says that people who stammer want to say something but at the same time they don't so they actually keep stopping themselves from communicating effectively. From what you said about feeling nervous, your problem may be related to a feeling of stress so it might help you to listen to a relaxation tape to see if this helps. If it continues to worry you then I would see your GP for advice and reassurance. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the advice

Spiritualknot, thst is so interesting. My DS2 has started to stammer, repeating words not sounds, and nursery want to refer hin to SALT, but we are resisting as generally language seems to be coming on well (from a slow strat)does that seem fairly normal to you?

Sorry for crap typing too tired and drunl to check.

Thanks Thaigal.
Hi SmileysPeople. I would say it's normal. My own son went through this patch as well. My husband was real concerned but I just used to emphasise. "Listen to WHAT he is saying not HOW he is saying it". Basically to ignore the stammer completely. Don't tell him to slow down, take a breath, try and finish sentences, guess what he's trying to say etc etc. This dysfluency is not the same as an adult stammer, it is a natural stage of learning language and the child needs to go through it. If the nursery feel there's a problem then I would suggest you advise them nicely not to draw attention to his speech as the child can feel under pressure to say things "correctly" before he's ready. Usually the child is completely unaware that he's doing it, he's just trying to get his message across and the attention should be on his success at getting the message across not at how badly he's articulated it! It is the nursery staff that need to adapt, not him, really. Again, have a word with your GP about it...if you do get referred to SALT, he'll be monitored and the advice given will help you and the nursery as well! Hope this helps.

It teally does thanks V much.
#We went to SALT in JAn as he was was only just beginning to talk (at2yrs6mts)but he chatted constantly through the consultation and spthep said she thought he was developinh normally and discharged us.
Now nursey worried this new stammer wiil impede his socila develpment. He is SUCh a sovialble little boy V confident chatty and friendly, to us they seem to be anticiapting problems that ween't there, so we said no to eferral. Still hough worried they may have bben right.
Your advice and opinion here really helps. Thanks.

Hipe you can discipher that. Must go to bed.
graet advice. BIG thanks.

Yes, I can decipher it! I read WHAT you typed not HOW you typed. Goodnight!