Stuttering Children
What is stuttering?
Stuttering is also referred to as dysfluency. It is a speech disorder that affects more than 3 million American children. The speech is interrupted by long pauses, repetitions or extensions of sounds, words or parts of words. The struggle to communicate may be accompanied by physical gestures or movements. It can range from mild to severe. Stress has been found to worsen the symptoms.
Do all children stutter?
Many young children go through periods of stuttering, especially when they are when they are upset, excited or tired. For most children this is a brief period of several weeks or months which many will outgrow especially when the onset is before three years of age.
Suggestions to help a young child that is stuttering:
Parents and teachers have a strong influence on a child struggling to communicate. It is important to create a calm, loving encouraging environment. Here are some suggestions for helping your child get through these periods when they are having difficulty finding and saying words:
- Speak slowly: Be a good speech model by slowing your own speech down. Being a good model is more effective that more effective than telling them to “Slow down” or “Take a breath.”
- Give your child plenty time to finish what they are saying: Try not to interrupt or finish sentences for them. Be patient and let your child get out
- Do not call attention to your child's speech: Listen to what your child is saying and avoid interrupting or stating, “Try not stutter.” This can make their speech worse, because your child will be thinking too hard about how they are talking instead of what they want to say.
- Make sure your child gets a turn to talk: At the dinner table or in a noisy group of children, give everyone a turn to talk. Keep the conversation at a slow pace. Keep questions and interruptions to a minimum while the child is speaking.
- Encourage positive speech interactions: Sing together, practice saying familiar rhymes and read together.
When to consult a speech-language pathologist:
Some children will not grow out of their stuttering and it is important to begin intervention as soon as possible.
Here are some signs that you should take your child to a speech-language pathologist:
- Your child's speech is interrupted by repetitions of sounds, of words. Repetitions of whole words or "um" and "uh" are frequently heard.
- Your child's speech is accompanied by signs of tension or struggling. Examples include, clenching fists, blinking eyes, or visible tensing in the mouth or neck.
- Your child's speech seems to get blocked. Sometime you may see their mouth open, and the child making efforts to make a sound, but no sound comes out.
- Your child is showing signs of frustration or upset after trying to communicate.
- If the stuttering persists longer than 4 months consult a SLP.
Request an assessment from if you are not sure about your child's stuttering. Even if treatment isn't necessary, the speech-language pathologist will be able to evaluate your child's speech and answer your questions and give suggestions specific to your child and family.
Links for more information on stuttering:
- American Speech and Hearing Association
- National Stuttering Association
- Stuttering Home Page
- Stuttering Foundation of America