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Worried about Three Year Old Stuttering

13 replies

CrazyCatLadyWantsADog · 22/05/2023 22:48

As it says above - though to add context: DD (just turned 3 today) has always been early with developmental milestones and she can talk up a storm using words and phrases way beyond her years. She’s been talking like a much older child for a long time now, and consistently seems to be about 6 months ahead of her peers with most things (movement, speech, size etc). I’ve recently noticed she is stuttering more and more - she gets stuck on certain words and will struggle to get them out. Sometimes it will be quite severe, other times it will be once in a while, but it concerns me. The reason it concerns me is because my DH has fairly acute ADHD and his presented as a child with a stutter that took him years to overcome. DD, I’m told by nursery nurses, doesn’t have ADHD, but this sudden developmental problem makes me question what else could be going on. The reason I mention how early she is with her milestones is because nursery suggest it’s her brain trying to process all the things she is trying to explain, and she is very capable of explaining everything in very clear detail. But I’m not sure. At her birthday party, she was exhausted admittedly, but she stuttered almost every word, struggled to communicate and by the time we drove home from the venue, she stuttered so badly she gave up and told me “I’ve lost my words”. Does this sound normal? Could it be a brain that hasn’t quite caught up with the words as nursery suggest? Is she just permanently tired and needs to slow down (she hasn’t napped a day since she turned two); Or should I be getting her seen by a speech and language specialist?

OP posts:
mikado1 · 22/05/2023 22:50

Very developmentally normal!

MellowMelly · 22/05/2023 23:23

I agree with @mikado1. both my daughter and my grand daughter had stutters at 3 years old. Brain works quicker than the mouth especially when they are experiencing developmental leaps.

Mumofgirls2023 · 17/06/2024 22:14

@CrazyCatLadyWantsADog This sounds very like my daughter right now. What happened with your child? Did it go away? We are worried and just don't know what to do. Thanks in advance

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Sometimesnot · 17/06/2024 22:24

Developmentally normal and 9/10 times toddlers will grow out of it. As there’s a family history though it might be worth getting on your local speech therapy waiting list.

I’d recommend downloading the Penguin app for some good advise on how to support her.

Sometimesnot · 17/06/2024 22:25

And there’s no link between a stammer and adhd. Adhd medication can cause a stammer but not adhd itself.

ItsItchy · 17/06/2024 22:50

My son had a stutter around that age.

I didn't draw attention to it. He outgrew it relatively quickly!

Mumofgirls2023 · 28/07/2024 21:23

@ItsItchy Hi there, Can I ask how long your son has it? Our daughter is approaching 6 months now. Thanks

recurrentmiscarrier · 21/01/2025 11:56

Hi @Mumofgirls2023 - looking for advice. My DS (3) has just started stammering with the beginning of sentences literally overnight. How is your child getting on? Any improvements? looking for hope really.

Pilgrimgirl · 21/01/2025 12:12

My ds stuttered from about age 3 to age 5 when it just stopped. We never commented on it to him or consulted anyone about it, he just naturally grew out of it. He's 25 now and has had no speech problems since then. He was always very inquisitive and talkative and it was, as if, he had so many words he wanted to say that it was difficult to get them out properly.

flyinghen · 21/01/2025 14:59

My girl was also well ahead, talking in long sentences by 20 months and very clear with a large vocabulary. She also went through a phase of stuttering her words, can't remember exactly when but perhaps 3 actually come to think of it. I worried too, but it didn't last too long, think she was just processing!

She's 5 now and fine and still ahead generally at school.

Mumofgirls2023 · 21/01/2025 17:13

Hi, Sorry to hear your son has started stammering. My daughter's has improved a lot and I'm much less worried now, and more convinced that it's developmental. It seemed to totally disappear ( I didn't really notice it happening but one day realised that she wasn't doing it anymore)but then came back just before Christmas. It's quite mild now I'd say and much less frequent than before. The last two times it's come back again I've noticed that it coincided with a period of vocabulary development where she's been using new words and phrases. I was very worried this time last year but now I don't really think about it and I'm optimistically hopeful that it'll soon disappear altogether. I hope this reassures you a bit. I also spoke to a SALT over the phone last year when it was at it's worst and she told me that it sounded developmental and to hold off on any treatment yet.

recurrentmiscarrier · 21/01/2025 20:49

@Mumofgirls2023 thank you for replying - much much appreciated. I have linked in with a SLT today and had the same advice so crossing my fingers.

loobylou10 · 21/01/2025 21:31

My (now 28yo) son started stuttering at 3 after being an early talker. GP said very normal as his brain was working quicker than his mouth!

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