Stuttering - Osseo,MN

I have found that my 4 yr old will stutter once ina while at the beginning of a sentence, but its because she talks so fast. When she stutters stop her and tell her alk slowly, and see if that helps. Thats what I do with my daughter, then she's fine.

Please don't correct her. if you do, she may become self concious and feel bad. give her time to say what she wants to say. many kids go through this and out grow it. seeing that she only does this with the first word of the sentence makes me think that she will out grow it. a true person who stutters will have difficulty with many words.
good luck and let us know!
michelli

Hi S.,
I posted yesterday to Alisa's question. Didn't see yours till today. My son started this when he was 3. we asked his ped. about it and she said it's normal at that age, more so with boys for some reason. She referred us to a speech pathologist at U of Michigan to set our minds at ease though. The sp. path. went though a series of tests with him and said he was fine. It's just developmental. Basically he was trying to get all the info out of his head and his body just couldn't keep up. That's what the ped. said too. She gave us some ways to help him. Basically, when your daughter comes to you to say something give her your complete attention. Stop what you're doing; don't necessarily stare directly at her...it could make her more self conscious just give your attention. If she is stuck you can say something encouraging like "yes, I'm listening." then wait until she finishes. Don't try to 'help' her by saying the word for her or finishing the sentance. That is only frustrating for her. I know it can be frustrating for the parents to stop everything when you are in the middle of something but eventually it will pass. I would also let the grandparents (or whoever is around her often) know about the best ways to help your daughter throught this developmental phase. Good luck to you.
L.

My son started doing this around age 2, but actually no longer does it at age 3. I worried a little, but noticed it was inconsistent so wondered if it had more to do with so many things wanting to be said and not a great ability to get them out that fast! Must have been something like that.

If you are really worried though, you can get a free evaluation from teh school district.

She could be stuttering if she doesn't think your listening. This could be her way of getting your attention.

I was a little concerned when my son started stuttering at about the same age. I checked out several websites and talked to a speech pathology friend of mine. Here's a website www.stutteringhelp.org that you can check out. I thought it was very helpful. Most likely it is just a phase (as with my son) but if you are still concerned you can have your daughter evaluated by a speech language pathologist.

Take her to your neighborhood MPS school and tell them you would like her evaluated for speech and language. It is free and if she qualifies MPS has to provide services. If she does not qualify you have ruled out a speech and language issue and it may be situational stress due to your pregnancy.

I don't know if it's the same thing my my 2 1/2 year old does that but it's almost like she is trying to say something before she has thought it through so she says it until she's figured out the rest of the sentence. She has also been talking just fine at an early age so I don't know maybe she is doing the same thing, I'd ask your dr.

just a thought, but have you asked her to say it again? I mean like if when she stutters you say something like "what did you say?" and then see if she stammers through that first word again?
she may just be thinking so many things at the same time that she can't remember what or how to say what she's thinking. my kids have all gone through a stage or two of difficult speaking long after they have been proficient talkers.

another thought... does she look like she is struggling or even frustrated to get that first word to come out? if there is some physical sign that she is having a hard time saying the word not just trying to remember it then it could be something to talk to her pediatrician about. they would know what people to send you to if your child needed any kind of therapy.

My 2 year 3 month old has also started stuttering lately. I have several friends who are speech pathologists and have asked them if I should be concerned. They have all said that this is normal at this age as the mind has way more vocabulary than the speech development can handle, so they stutter. The one thing they have all said is to NOT bring it to the child's attention at all--not to finish sentences for them, etc. When they finish saying a sentence, you can repeat their sentence back clearly, but not to make them aware that they are stuttering. They all told me that if the stuttering goes on for 6 months or more, that would be the time to address it with your dr. and ask for a speech referral, but until then, it's normal. Hope that helps! I was really concerned too!

This is completely normal. I was very worried when my daughter did this too, I think she was about the same age. The dr said it happens when their mind is growing at a very fast pace & their mouth cannot keep up. My daughter completely stopped doing it around about 3 1/2 yrs. My dr gave me some guidelines she said as long as she wasn't stuttering through the whole sentences or completely unable to get anything out it was normal. HTH
Brekka

WE had an experience with our son and stuttering.

He was curious at the age of 2-1/2.
He decided to see what would happen if he put a penny in a light socket.

He stuttered for about 6 months! But it went away.

He's 21 now, and fine.
'
J.

Hi S.! My son who is now 6 had that same problem. He was an early talker and had talked in sentences early as well. Then one day he started stuttering. We talked to a friend of ours, who is a speech therapist in an elementary school, and she said that we shouldn't be alarmed. It had to do with how his brain was processing language. She said that we shouldn't help them get the word out or make a big deal about it. So we listened to her and he grew out of it within a few months. See this site: kidshealth.org

My daughter started around 2 and didn't stop until age5.

Her preschool,kindergarten teachers never saw it but everyone on the homefront sure did. It's normal and they outgrow it. It's hard to get the school dist. to do speech unless it's serious or causing harm to childs development and becoming a problem where they are embarassed.

I personally think it happened to my daughter because she's very bright and a huge talker and just couldn't get the words out fast enough had way to much going on in her brain.

I was told to let her finish talking get down on my hands knees to her eye level and not rush her. I was very very guilty of having no patience and rushing her.

S.,

All three of my children who have surpassed age 3 have gone through this. I asked my pediatrician about the first and she said it was totally normal at this stage, so I learned to expect it with the others. I have heard other moms talk about it, especially with children who were early talkers or very talkative.

Around age 2 1/2 - 3, they go through a phase where they think quicker than they can talk. It is a matter of learning to catch up. It isn't a disability and doesn't require intervention, just a phase. One mom said her son benefited when she would coach him to slow down and say one word at a time. It takes a few weeks to a few months to outgrow. If it has been over 6 months and it is still prevelant, you may want to consult your pediatrician.

Good luck,
S.

Good afternoon, S.! I am a mother of 8, and I have encountered this a couple of times. My now 20-year-old son started stuttering at about 2 1/2 or 3 and it would be so bad he would stomp his foot to help him get his words out! The best thing to do is wait quietly for them to get their sentences/questions out. It's not a good idea to try to finish their sentences and above all, do not let anybody make fun of them, because it is frustrating enough for them without wondering why so-and-so is laughing at their efforts to speak. It only lasted for a short time and my son talks just fine now. There is a chronic stutterer in our family, but I was never worried that my son would stutter. I would love him anyway; any parent would. Be patient.

My guess is it's probably just a case of being 2 and struggling to get the words out, but if you do become concerned give your school district speech therapy a call. I know another responder said it's difficult to get them to come out, but my sis-in-law called them for her 20 month old slow talker and they came out no problem, so it might vary according to district.

Hi S.,
My son still does this and he is 5. He does it when he is overly excited and really has something he wants us to hear, and he does it to keep our attention while he is thinking up what he wants to say next. We stop what we are doing and give him our full attention. He is in speech therapy for this and other articulation issues.
At your daughter's age, it's normal, it's called
"disfluency", and it happens because her mouth can't keep up with her brain.
Our speech therapist told us not to draw any attention to it, you could repeat the phrase she is trying to say, using "turtle talk", s l o w l y so she can hear how it's supposed to sound. But never finish her sentence for her. She needs to get it out herself. Just be encouraging. If it continues, you may want to have her evaluated by a speech therapist, otherwise, just know it's part of the developmental process.
I hope this helps.
Good luck.
P.

It's not that unusual at this age. Be patient and don't fill in the words for her. If it continues for 6 months or more, ask your physician for a referral to a speech therapist.

S., she could be nervous, when she asks questions, or has a statement when she expresses herself, if she got yelled at, it could cause her to be a bit nervous about asking it, and we all have done that at time or another is yell at our kids, she may be afraid of the response if that is the case, also, she may know what she wants, but is not sure how to put into words, just let her know its ok, and when she has what she has to say ready you are there to listen, she also may feel she is interrupting you somehow, and wants some sort of attention, usually stutterers, do more words than that, i have a son, who is very bright, his mind goes faster than his mouth can catch up with, so he at times will say things twice too, so take a look at what happens, and know your child, and hopefully too she will outgrow it, any way , have fun and enjoy life, D. s

I would ask your pediatrician to see what he/she thinks. Sometimes local school districts offer early childhood programs and might have a speech therapy class that might assist you with this. They could at least tell you if it is something to be concerned about at this point.

Hope this helps!

A.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. We have a daughter the same and age and she does it too. It mostly seems to happen when she is thinking faster than she can get the words out. Or when she gets really excited. I'm sure it is just a normal phase.