Toddler son, stuttering since starting nursery

[JC2021]

Is this a usual response to nursery? Maybe his emotions/holding it all in?

He started 2 weeks ago and appeared to settle really well - but today was the first day of tears and clinging. Maybe he has realised this is a regular thing.

He is stuttering a lot! Pretty much every other sentence and it's quite considerable.

I can see is emotionally slightly
Overwhelmed.

Any advice/tips?

Thank you!x

I work in a nursery and you’d expect anxiety related stuttering to take a lot longer to start. I don’t want to scare you but you should make a GP appointment first to rule out medical causes. Have you sought any medical advice yet?

Maybe speak to the nursery and ask them if they have noticed it. (It can be as a result of trauma) but more likely he may be copying another child, or someone is reading to him ‘this is a cat - cccccc-at’ ‘can you say flower? Ffffff-lllllll’.

There's some great information about stammering available on the Stamma website: stamma.org/get-support/parents and they're running an online workshop tomorrow which might be of interest? stamma.org/connect/events/workshop-parents-pre-school-children-who-stammer

We haven't sort medical advice, he has done it before usually when there's a development leap I've noticed, but it would always go away after a while.. I didn't think much of it..

What types of trauma could cause this?

He does have an element of social anxiety and I wonder if that is playing a part..

He's also had a few more potty training accidents since starting but I know that's very common and to be expected

I would get him on the waiting list for speech and language therapy, not because it's necessarily a lasting issue but because getting input soon is a good idea. Most areas will let you refer yourself, Google your area name plus speech and language therapy and give them a ring.

In the meantime, relax any expectations about language, try and slow down consciously when you talk with him. Ican is a good charity with usually helpful info on their website.

My boy had this briefly as a phase for about a month or 2 then it passed. It was like his brain was going to fast for his mouth or the other way round. It just seemed to be one of those funny developmental stages

I found the same as @Glindaswand - my eldest went through short phases of stammering - it's like he's words couldn't keep up with his brain.
The advice I was given is not to drawn his attention to it because that would just give him a complex and make him focus on it more.
It soon went away.

Just keep an eye on it for now.

My ds used to do this when he was about four. We got him an amazing speech therapist through the nursery and she gave me loads of tips like slowing down when talking to him, only talking about one thing at a time, playing with him with dolls, and easy and fun card games. Quality time with him where there was no rush really helped.

My D's started stuttering at 2.5 years old. I was very worried. I found getting down to his level and have him to look at me when he spoke helped as it helped him focus on what he wanted to say, don't rush him or finish what he's saying. I also found if he was tired it would happen more. I remember him looking at me and saying the word won't come out 😭 I told him it's ok it happens to me too sometimes.

I applied for speech therapy finally got seen and he was going through a development growth spurt. He saw a speech therapist at just over 3 years of age, he had the vocabulary of 4.5/5.5 year old. He's ten now and hasn't happened again. If still concerned go to you GP

Both of mine went through stuttering phases - they just had more in their heads than they could get out. Ds stuttered whenever there was a stressful transition. They’re tweens now and grown out of it.

My DS did this when he joined a school Nursery Pre Reception. He was just 3. It transpired that there was a stutterer in the class and he was copying him. It passed.

It was just a developmental phase with my boy too- did relate slightly to stressful things like gaining a sibling and going to nursery- but it stopped. Like others have said, try not to finish words or sentences, talk slowly, read lots and sing lots and don’t worry too much. His wee brain is working faster than his mouth.

Agree with others. My son had similar issues, we saw a speech therapist and the advice was as above - don't draw attention to it, don't finish his sentences, slow down. Its just a phase where his brain works faster than his vocal ability. The other thing was to avoid asking closed or semi closed questions. Instead say "tell me about nursery today" or "what would you like to do" so that he can take the lead, talk or play about what he wants / as he wants to so doesn't feel pressure to respond in a particular way.

@Glindaswand

My boy had this briefly as a phase for about a month or 2 then it passed. It was like his brain was going to fast for his mouth or the other way round. It just seemed to be one of those funny developmental stages

I was about to say this too. We went through this when my son was about 2-3 years old. He would stutter for a few weeks and then it would stop and it might happen again a few weeks later. I figured it was linked with development/learning a lot. Either way, it stopped by age of 3 and never happened again (and he's a strapping teen without a stutter now)

I pointed it out to the nursery and they agreed - they have noticed his stutter at the start of sentences and they feel it is developmental and he may grow out of it.

She wrote down a website for me to look at for therapy referrals but didn't state whether I should refer or not. She said let's keep an eye on it.

The referral times are 16 weeks for initial assessment and 6months for an appointment for treatment.

Sometimes he looks very uncomfortable with it as he tries to get the words out.

My GP are useless.

I may refer myself.