What can be done for sttttuttering?

Jill - posted on 01/27/2010

yes, my son had it from about 2-3ish...it's that they're thinking so far ahead..and the words come out mumbled. the more you bring attention to it..they get nervous and try to say more..then it comes out worse..I used to tell him to take his time and try and speak slower to get out his thoughts. As it will be hard for you, you have to be patient..so I wouldn't say ignore..just don't bring it to their attention as much..just be patient..and over time..yes, over time..with patience they will improve....hope that helps..:0)

Denise - posted on 01/22/2010

whenever he sings a song does he stutter? There are many artists that has a stuttering problem when speaking, but when they sing they do not stutter. Your baby hopefully is going through a phase but there is no harm in working with him, such as having him to slow down when talking.

Eva - posted on 01/21/2010

There are wonderful professional speech therapists out there who specialize in this disorder. As soon as the children are school age, you could try that. I have seen many children grow out of it nicely. To quote them directly: Don't try to finish the child's sentences for them. be patient. listen.

Marina - posted on 01/21/2010

never ignore anything that your child does that would be hard for them as they got older- Just ask him to slow down and think about what he wants to say = do not say it for him- and let him get the words out. You should praise him when he slows down on his own and if he does not stutter- sometimes their mouths and speech go slower than their brain he may be anxious about getting out what he wants to say. If it doesn't get better I would seek a consultation with a pediatric speech therapist just for guidance. good luck whatever you do do not let anyone tease him or make him loose self esteem or it will get worse. -good luck

Jackie - posted on 01/21/2010

my daughter has been stuttering for the past 6 months. I was getting really anxious about it but when she did it I just asked her to slow down and think about what she wanted to say. She is 4 in April so about the same age as your child. It came from absolutely nowhere and guess what.......it disappeared as quickly as it appeared !

Vikki - posted on 01/21/2010

Two of my children developed stutters around that age. Both eventually received speech therapy through the school....one benefitted and one did not. My fifteen year old still struggles because the moment he started to improve the school bumped him and the therapy ended. I had to fight to have it renewed twice but the same thing happened, he was bumped as soon as progress appeared. I would most emphatically NOT ignore it...the sooner intervention occurs, the more likely it will be benefit your child. I learned the hard way.

Lori - posted on 01/20/2010

As a dance teacher, I have seen it a lot. I find that I have to take care to patiently attend to the student and listen intently. It is usually a rush to get an idea out or to be heard if others interrupt us frequently at school, playgroup, home, or dance. Eye to eye contact lets them know I am listening and reminding everyone to take turns so that the thoughts have time to formulate into good sentence structure! Good luck!

Karling - posted on 01/18/2010

MY SON STUTTER, DONT IGNORE HIM FIRST THING CHECK TO SEE IF ANYONE IN THE FAMILY STUTTER, PATIENT IF YOU YELL AT HIM WILL MAKE IT WORSE, ABOUT 5 YRS OLD HAVE HIM TESTED THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE HIM SOME TYPE OF EXERCISE TO DO, ALWAYS POSSITIVE

Randa - posted on 01/16/2010

I believe it is very common.

Theresa - posted on 01/16/2010

Ignoring it is best. He can't help it. My oldest is almost 14 and still does sometimes. For him it's that his brain is going faster than his mouth. Sometimes I'll tell him to slow down and think about what he wants to say first. That does seem to help. I don't do that if front of others however. My son is self conscious about the stuttering and to say something about it in front of others would emberass him, even if it's to say something helpful, like slow down. My sister-in-laws father still stutters and he's in his 70's. When their son went through a phase of stuttering he told them no metter what to not tease or make fun of him in anyway, even joking. It's very hurtful. Most likely he will grow out of it. When we talked to my son's doc he said it was very common in preschool to early elementary school aged kids because their brains are going faster than their mouths can keep up.

Sara - posted on 01/16/2010

The first thing I would do is find a speach therapist (like at the local school system or special ed programs or the local university/speech therapy dept.) have the 4 yr old tested and listen to what they are telling you. While you are waiting to get in to an appoinment why not try singing with "him" especially children music and country music. Quite often it helps them to hear the proper way to sound words. Most important get a true diagnosis from the experts. It could be a phase but why wait till it is too late for "his" own comfort and talking when school comes around.

Annalise - posted on 01/15/2010

My almost 4 year old has just been through this phase! I wondered it was because he couldn't get his words together quickly enough. It's basically passed and i've put it down to his language and communication skills not being as quick as his brain/thought patterns and therefore, stuttering resulted. However, I do feel there is a small part the fact that he couldn't get a word in edgeways with his older, confident brother (and friends) and possibly a busy nursery setting? try not to worry, likelihood is it will pass in a couple of weeks.

Dana - posted on 01/15/2010

just go! the best thing would be to go and see what they have to say. they willl let you know if they can help or if they think you should wait it out but def dont ignore it!

Dana - posted on 01/15/2010

a phase? no way....get Speech Therapy ASAP!

Gina - posted on 01/15/2010

There is a tv show - The Drs. There are 3 male doctors and one femaile doctor on that show I watched last night on TV that of a young lady who stutters. She was given a passage from a book to read and she really had a hard time finishing reading the passage but when the host (a doctor) gave her a small device which she placed on her earlobe...when she was asked again to read the passage, she read the passage without stuttering at ALL! check it out...i dont know what the device is called.

Ellen - posted on 01/14/2010

DO NOT IGNORE!!
Often their brain is racing ahead of their mouth. NO joke. Get the child to
1. STOP
2. SWALLOW
3. Take a deep breath
4. Think through what they want to say and then tell them to speak slowly.

Patricia - posted on 01/14/2010

My five year old stutters off and on in time frames for one and a half years. There are some great handouts on the stuttering foundation website. Try to avoid direct questions and ask" I wonder ...". Also calming down the environment may help him relax to speak. One of the best strategies I was told was to find some activities shere he does not have to speak, ie coloring or puzzles to let his brain and mouth "rest". Also have a speech evaluation if you are concerned. They are helping us

Cathy - posted on 01/14/2010

My son started stuttering about age 4-5, it lasted about two years but he received speech therapy at school and it eventually went away. Now he is thirteen and cannot stop talking. Stay encouraged, he will outgrow it, but get some help while this is going on.

Stacy - posted on 01/14/2010

I have a four year old that stutterers also when ever they start tell them to slow down and to repeat what they are trying to get out. I was worried that my daughter had a problem and i took her to a speach DR. at children hospital after they tested her they found that she has a learning problem not a speach. What i was told that if it's still going on after 5 and she has started school i would then get it checked. If it bothers you alot then find a therapist near you it gives you a peace of mind also it did me and know im working on the bigger problem on a learning and like Teva said it's a dyslexia type of thing. She reads and writes her name back words.

Renah - posted on 01/13/2010

My daughter started to stutter after being fairly advanced vocally, but it did turn out to be a stage. Just feel it out, your on the right track. Try not to darw attention to it, and if it continues talk to your doctor again. (:

Jillian - posted on 01/13/2010

Don't ignore it! My son stuttered when he was three, it went away when he was four and started up again when he started kindergarten. We realized it had to do with nerves. Once he was comfortable the stuttering stopped. He even had the facial ticks that went along with it. He is getting speech therapy for some issues but the stuttering for him is a link to nerves. Just watch it and try to record when it happens, when he's tired or maybe nervous. Just remind him to slow down and never rush them. Most of the time it is a phase at this young age but you should keep a constant eye on them.

Amber - posted on 01/13/2010

I know kids who stuttered and most of them grow out of it. They say that sometimes it can be an attention thing like when there are other siblings, big changes in your life style, etc. They don't realize that they are doing it for attention it just happens. But if it persists for more than 4 to 6 months I would say have it looked into.

Kathy - posted on 01/13/2010

I highly recommend that if you feel it needs more attention to have him checked by a speech therapist. Although my son did not stutter, we could not understand him and then one day we were at my other son's house who has a daughter and her playmate made fun of him and said he could not play with them. He came to us crying and that was the eye opener for me. Even though we could understand him most of the time I knew that it was a problem and just thought he would out grow out of it.. Well he has seen a speech therapist for 3 years. He does not have to anymore but if I would have taken him sooner when I knew it was a problem then I would not have to have paid for that long of time to be seen because at the time I didn't have insurance. But we became good friends with the speech therapist and she has a son the same age as mine and now they go to the same school and are good friends. So if you feel like it is a problem then just go and maybe have two different ones see him. It is better to be safe then sorry. Also, we did have tongue exercise that we did everyday and it did help.

LaShaun - posted on 01/13/2010

My brother use to studder and the Dr recommended having him stop and start his sentence over slower and it worked.

Janifer - posted on 01/13/2010

PROBABLY NOTHING. MAYBE HE'LL GROW OUT OF IT. IF NOT, THEN TRY PRONOUNCING WORDS, SO THAT HE WILL START REPEATING THEM AS U DO.

Eva - posted on 01/13/2010

From experience. Call your local school district and ask to see they have any speech programs. My son did the same thing. We had a speech teacher test him and he was placed in speech with the school district before he even went to kindergarten. Regardless, Trust your gut!!

Emma - posted on 01/12/2010

You can check with your local school to see if they have a preschool speech program. You can have your child tested and possibly receive speech therapy. The sooner you start the better.

Rachel - posted on 01/12/2010

oh and it is typical for a child of any age between 1 and 5 depending on their lang dev and if it ha not gone in 6 months get referred to a speech therapist
rach

Rachel - posted on 01/12/2010

I am a speech therapist. what happens with children is they go through a stage where their thoughts go quicker than their mouths do and they have not learnt to stall with ers and ems as we do in speech so they stutter. it is best to ignore it as in listen to what they are saying and give them time to do so. it should go after a few months. this is the best thing to do some children will end up with a stutter but most children do not and its best not to give children hang ups about this stage!!!
hope thats helpful
rach

Natalie - posted on 01/12/2010

i also got told about some exersiers for the tounge its called mr tounges story.

Natalie - posted on 01/12/2010

my little boy is going through the same. you can either listen to gp or refer him yourself go and see your health visitor and have a chat my gp told me the same about my little boy andi wasnt happy with that so i went to see his health visitor and she helped me to refer him to the hospital now he under the hospital for 6wk stints of speech theropy. he does twice a wk for 6wks and then he has 12wks off then back again for a nother 6wks and this contiues for a full year.

Beth - posted on 01/12/2010

My 4 yr. old did the same thing. I was extremely worried about it, too. I talked to his pediatrician, his preschool teachers, and the school language counselor. They all recommended to watch his developement and to not make an issue of it. We did keep an eye on him and he quit doing it after a month or two. I think at that age, their brains work so much faster than their body is able to keep up with sometimes.

Linda - posted on 01/11/2010

I wouldn't ignore it..my brother and my son both had stutters...when they start school there is a speech class that helps develop their tongues more..but they do grow out of it with some coaching

Mandy - posted on 01/10/2010

Do you have an Easter Seals in your area?? If you do I would NOT hesitate to do it now. It never hurts to be proactive. If i've learned anything about helping my kids overcome there struggles its to be VERY proactive and not wait. It can only help him. They might say he is ok and give you a few suggestions or say he would benefit from some weekly or bi-weekly for awhile. It would give you ideas and things for you to work with him on and maybe a boost of confidence too. That way going into school next year he wont have to worry about it :)

Anita - posted on 01/10/2010

How do you know when to refer your child to a specialist for speech issues like stuttering?

Mandy - posted on 01/10/2010

Jaelyn, I am ALWAYS very intrigued by therapist training and how they do things. I love all your ideas! I have worked with several speech pathologist as I have 5 kiddos and ALL of them have special needs, and NOT ONE of them made the suggestions you did. I have lots of mommas ask me questions and Im gonna tuck your ideas away and share then with anyone who asks. Thank you for sharing!! :)

Jaelyn - posted on 01/10/2010

@ Mandy - I am a behavorial therapist for children with special needs i.e. ADHD, Bipolar, etc. Speech therapy is part of the process in many cases :) The suggestions I offered is what I do with the kids and suggest the parents continue at home. These techniques are obviously not in depth speech therapy, such as what your son completed, rather they are exercises to try at home first before recommending full speech therapy with a specialist. I have had a lot of success with it. Thanks for asking! :)

Anita - posted on 01/10/2010

Thanks everyone - especially Jaelyn! I did try reading to him more rhyme and repetitious books today and he enjoyed it. Tomorrow, I'll have him repeat after me and see how it goes. He is a very excitable kid and also very bright. He is often correcting his little brother's phrases and it's interesting how he will get stuck on a word while doing so.

Mandy - posted on 01/10/2010

~ Jaelyn, I was wondering if you were a speech pathologist??

Jaelyn - posted on 01/10/2010

To "cure it" have them read (if they can) Dr Suess, or repeat each line after you if they cannot. Since the phrases are so silly and tongue-twisting, it forces them to slow down and think about what they are saying. It really works. You will have to be vigilent about reading for at least 20 mins every day but the stuttering should be gone or very minimal in about 6 months. :)



Despite what some have said earlier, it is NOT typical for kids ages 3-5. At the same time it not something to overly worry about either. You just have to do everything you can to retrain speach patterns now before they are too set in their ways.



Another good trick is memorizing and reciting other tongue-twisters, google it and you will get a ton in seconds. My favorite for stuttering is "Sally sells sea shells down by the sea shore" since it is heavy on "s" words.



Having them slow down and repeat themselves is absolutely necessary in everyday speach. Even though you may be able to understand what they are saying, it is crucial to have them repeat themselves, a few times if necessary, until they say it correctly. It DOES NOT harm them to bring it to their attention. What causes harm is the mocking and teasing they will get from other kids. If you recognize it in a loving manner, and help them through it, they will be all the better for it. Whatever you do, do not respond in frustration, i.e. sharp tones or AGAIN, come on you know what you need to do! Take a deep breath yourself before you speak and ask them to try again so it does not come across as sharp or demanding, this is what can hurt their self esteem. It can be very frustrating, you just have to keep at it unfortunately. Also do not offer rewards or punishment for motivation, this sends the wrong message and makes more of the issue than it needs to be. Just treat it very matter-or-fact as you would correct a child for saying pasghetti instead of spaghetti.

Manu - posted on 01/10/2010

my little niece had that problem. she's terribly bright and seemed to think too fast for her mouth to keep up with her :-)
it sometimes helped if, rather than just having a casual conversation over the shoulder, we'd stop her when she started to lose it and say really calmly 'anne, slow down a minute. what is it you would like to say?' she'd gather her thoughts and ...oh miracle ... stuttttterrrring gone! takes a bit of time & effort but i would not ignore it if i was you. good luck

Anita - posted on 01/10/2010

He is aware of it at four. He prays to God at night that He wil take it away. He is not in school and no one is making fun of him. But I'm hoping it will be corrected befre it starts. He doesn't stutter all the time, just occasionally.

Mandy - posted on 01/09/2010

My son is almost 11 and has high functioning autsim. He had Speech therapy for 7 years. And Stuttered for several of those. They said the WORST thing you can do is draw attention to it. Especially for kids who dont have autsim and are very socially aware. They get nervous and it will make there stuterring worse. It is also very normal for kids to go through "burst of growth" with there speech. And at ages such as 3, 4,and 5. It is very typical for kids to stutter. I would be aware of what is going on, and exactly what sitiuations or what words he stutters over, but not to draw attention to it. However if it carries on for a long time, or gets worse, or the minute you realize HE is aware of it and self concious then I would take him for a speech evaluation.

Firebird - posted on 01/05/2010

My brother had a stutter that took years to correct. He saw a speech pathologist twice a week from grage one until the end of grade six. It might be a phase, your child might be imitating someone else who stutters or your child may need assistance learning to speak properly. I wouldn't ignore it, I'm sure there are plenty of things that you can do at home to help correct it. I see lots of good advice on this thread.

Tammy - posted on 01/05/2010

I have no medical ly given advice but I do know of a few stutterers that sing professionally. Maybe singing can help. Just a thought

Anita - posted on 01/05/2010

So I tried telling him that I am listening and to think about what he wants to say and try again and I think it helped a little. I'm afraid that his younger brother will think it's funny or maybe even "try" It himself. I want to nip it in the bud already!

Lisa - posted on 01/05/2010

Don't ignore it completely and do nothing. My daughter went through this at about the same age and the best advise I got was to tell her to think before she speaks and slow down. If you work with your child it will improve or in many instances disappear. Good luck!

Chelsea - posted on 01/05/2010

just be patient, help him along his words when he's struggling. if it does not go away, they're are classes for stuttering.

Souad - posted on 01/05/2010

I agree with Andrea's advice. My daughter was stuttering when she was getting excited but I regularly asked her to "slow down" and while getting closer to 4.5 years old I asked her to "Think about what she wanted to say then say it slowly" and most of all I kept on reminding her that I would be listening to her and she doesn't need to rush ! So she doesn't need to feel the need to express everything as quickly as possible.

I say that because when you have other children the older one may think s/he'll be interrupted to go help the younger one... so s/he feels always the need to rush to be heard. It's also important to impose the sibblings to take turns so that they learn to listen to each others and know they'll be heard.

Teva - posted on 01/05/2010

my daughter is 3 1/2 and she has stutered since about 2 1/2. our doc said it is a sort of developemental dislexiea and she should get overr it just dont correct her cause it makes it worse. i just have her slow down and think about what she is trying to say her brain is processing stuff quicker than she can compute lol.