My Son Just Started Stuttering

The main thing is to NOT draw attention to it. You don't want him to start feeling selfconcious about it, that could lead him to be fearful of talking. When it happens, have him stop, take a deep breath, and try to have him see if there is another way to say what he wants to say. If he has trouble with particular sounds or letters, try to find other words that he can use, and work on the trouble letters independently.
The most important thing is to never let him feel like there is something wrong with him. Good luck!!

Hello, K.:
I have 2 boys, ages 5 and 7. They had a phase where they struggled to get their thoughts out verbally, a little bit. It sounds like your 3-year-old has more thoughts in his head than he can verbalize. He sounds very bright and you've exposed him to lots of enrichment activities, which is great. When he stutters, just be patient and wait for him to get the words out. If you seem concerned, this may stress him out and make the stuttering worse. If you're really concerned, I suggest you take him to your pediatrician. He/she may tell you that it's just a phase; if it's anything more, they can refer you to a speech therapist. Hope this helps!
H.

Hi K. -
My niece did exactly the same thing at the same age. It was even with the same types of words that you described. I remember how painful it was for all of us. I also remember that after a few weeks of it going on, she would sometimes start to say something and then it would happen and she would just stop talking. We felt horrible.

At that time, the pediatrician told my sister that it was important not to finish her sentences for her and not to show concern.

The good news is that it only lasted a few months! She is in her teens now and has never had another problem. Actually, she is a straight A student.

I hope this is the case for you. I don't think this is unusual. Good luck!

J.

K., my three year old has some minor speech issues. They have greatly improved since seeing a speech therapist at Robinwood Rehab. Ask your pediatrician for a referral, if you need one. It is important to get help before he gets frustrated, which may cause anxiety, and make the problem worse. Good luck!

My son started stuttering right around his fourth birthday. Almost everyone I knew told me not to worry about it and that it was just a stage. Sounds good in theory but I WAS worried about it, especially because he was a somewhat shy child and he didn't like to talk a lot anyway (he was not a late speaker but he was never the chatterbox that most of his only child peers were). I really became concerned when he started showing what speech therapists call "secondary" symptoms. He wouldn't look people in the eye when he talked, but would turn his head away and he was clearly getting frustrated with his inability to say what he wanted to say.
I took him for a speech and language assessment through our local school district (Montgomery County, MD) and his disfluency was pronounced enough that he qualified for speech therapy through the school system. He currently goes to a speech class once a week for a 45 minute session and his speech has improved dramatically. He still stutters when he is over-excited and eager to tell me something but I just remind him to use his slow speech and he is able to get it out. Next Fall he will start Kindergarten and his speech therapist thinks he won't need any services at all. I honestly can't tell you if the speech services are the reason for the improvement or if he is just getting better at processing his thoughts and putting the words together as he matures. He certainly talks A LOT more than he did 10 months ago! My advice is to wait a couple of months to see if the stutter disappears on it's own but don't hesitate to get a speech evaluation if he is still stuttering and you are still concerned. You are his best advocate and an evaluation may put your fears to rest or he may get help that he needs...either way it is a win-win situation. Good luck!

Hi there,

You are right a lot of kids do stutter at the younger ages...there is actually another posting up here from a Mom with a similar problem. The advise she reecieved was to help him slow down and speak each work clearly. Help him not get frustrated by telling him to take as much time as he needs to get the words out. Sometimes, just learning to do that clears up any stuttering issues. I wouldn't stress out to much (although I totally get why you are, it IS different when it is your baby)Give it a try and if it doesn't improve over time, talk to your pediatrician about a short-term speech therapist.

Hope this helps;-)
Jen

Make an appointment with your pediatrician. My daughter is much younger than your son but she quit talking, and I contacted her doctor and she now takes speech therapy which is a LIFESAVER! She is now signing and talking. Talk about an improvement. My daughter's doctors and speech therapist say you can NEVER be to concerned or to NEVER ignore these types of changes. Hope this helps!

I stuttered on and off until I was 35. John Glenn's wife also did, so I knew it wasn't because I was bad. There are ways to learn to relax you tongue and lips. You also must make your ego strong so you can relax when you speak. Your love is important in assuring your son he is a good person.

I would set and wait. My daughter is 5yrs old. She went through that also and still does from time to time. I think all children do. I think if you still see a problem when he starts school than there is prob. a problem. i wouldn't hesitate to bring it up to the doctor but i don't believe it will lead to a prob. I think alot of problems are just general growing up, learning how to use the mouth and pronounce words and eager to say things quickly. Most children especially boys have this prob. because they are eager to tell there parents about what they have done or want to do or what not. Good luck

My son did the same thing when he was about 3 1/2. It was kind of like he had more to say then he could get out of his mouth. He would stutter, have long pauses where he couldn't things out of his mouth, or would extend sounds while he was talking.

At the time, I happened to work at a place that offered speech therapy, so I had one of the therapists conduct an evaluation. Apparently, a lot of kids, especially boys, get a stutter about that age when vocabulary and language skills really explode. At the time, they said wait three to six months, and if hasn't improved, then they would recommend regular speech therapy.

They recommended when he was stuttering to ask him to slow down, say something like, "Wow, that sounded kind of bumpy. Do you want to try to say it again?"

In the end, he grew out of it within a few months and hasn't had a problem since.

Hi K.,
I posted a similar problem with my 2 1/2 year old daughter a couple of weeks ago. It is very worrisome as a parent when you see your bright child begin to struggle. I cried for days and could not sleep. She had the same symptoms and actually started exhibiting what they call the "secondary symptoms" as well, like eyes twitching and facial grimacing. It only lasted 1 month and then she improved. I was so worried I did take her to her pediatrician for peace of mind. He attributed it to normal development that some children go through especially when they are about to have a verbal spurt and/or good or bad stresses (for me we are expecting another baby any day now). He said their little brains develop so fast sometimes their mouths can't catch up with the thought process.
The wonderful advice that I got from everyone was to not pay attention to it, do not make him feel self conscious about it, don't tell him to slow down or finish his sentences. Just be patient with him and watch your facial expressions. Meaning don't raise eyebrows to help him finish faster; it is important that you speak slower and clearer. In time hopefully it will go away. My daughters only lasted 1 month and then she started to improve, believe it or not she did increase her vocabulary tremendously after that! Her sentences and verbal usage is even more amazing now then before. What a relief. I hope that helps. Good Luck!

Sometimes around your child's age, vocabulary is developing faster in the brain than the child can get it out. Don't give any attention to the stuttering as this can make it worse. Also don't let the child overhear you expressing your concern. Just wait patiently until the child gets out his words. If this continues for a few months, you may want to contact a speech therapist to determine if this stuttering is a different kind.

Sheila B.