Childhood Stuttering?????

My son did the same thing at 3 1/2. I talked to the speech path at school and she said to just ignore it. She said don't tell him to slow down either. He is learning so many words at that age that he has trouble saying them. We just ignored it and eventually it went away. He seems to do it a little when he gets excited still but it got better with him. She also asked us if we have a fast lifestyle. She said to slow down the household. GOod luck!

hi there, i would say to record when he is doing and ask the doctor at the next appointment. i have noticed that my daughter does it when she is excited. it is like her brain is working faster than her mouth can work. i also noticed that you work out of your home and i was wondering if you could give me some information about this.
thanks
J.

My daughter started doing this around age 3 and stopped 6 months later, right before we were going to get her evaluated by the school district for speech issues. It is developmental. She does it occassionally now when she is stessed or anxious or believe it or not going through a growth spurt or cognitive growth period. She would say the first letter repeatedly like MMMMM mom, and she would repeat words over and over at the begining of sentences. She has been talking in paragraphs since she was 2. I did talk to 2 speech people and they said ingorne it - even though it is hard. Tell all loved ones, daycare, friends etc the same. Do not finish the words for him or act anxious or stressed. If it continues past 6 months and gets really bad call your school district for an evaluation. Before age 3 you can call early intervention.
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I wouldn't worry about it too much. My son who is almost 4 went through this same phase when he was 3. It scared me at the time because he was having such a hard time saying things and the harder he tried, the worse it was. A friend of mine's son went through the same thing, so I just gave it time and it went away. It probably took a couple months, but it just got better and better and he'll do it once in a while now, but for the most part it's gone. I'm glad I didn't go through the expense of speech therapy when it was something that would go away anyhow.

Please don't worry. Stuttering is very normal during stages when a child's vocabulary is expanding faster than they are able to get the words out!

There actually are stages of stuttering. My son was about 3 when he had to start speech therapy, and him learning to talk actually caused him to stutter for a while.. it's just that their brains are moving faster than their mouths! It usually goes away once they learn how to catch up.. it can be worse if they are tired or not feeling well, or REALLY excited about something. If it lasts TOO long, bring it up to your ped, but from my experience, it's just a normal progressive stage!

I don't know how you want to relate this, if at all, but my son (7) used to say everything twice. After nearly every statement he made, it was almost like he would repeat it to himself (a bit quieter) to make sure it sounded right, or made sense. Whenever I was around to notice it, I would point it out to him that he was doing this. He denied it for the longest time, "No I didn't," but after a while he did realize it and it faded. This probably lasted for a good year, between the ages of 4-6 (can't remember exactly when).

do not wait to solve the problem. I see students who did not get the help early on and they still have problems because the parents waited too long. Early intervention has no "earliest." Good luck and hope it all works out!

Hi J.- All of my girls went through a stuttering phase at that age. A lot of times their mouths cannot keep up with their brains. I would remind him to slow down when he is talking and otherwise ignore. If you are still noticing it in 6 monthes or it seems to get worse I would talk to your dr. about a speech referral.
Good Luck
B.

My three year old has the same problem. I was told that they can't begin to get speech therapy until they are four. My doctor told me she would give me a referral to see a specialist when he turns four.

Call your local school and see if He can get into their speech classes, they are usually free.

My son has been in speech therapy since he was 2 and, although he has never stuttered, his friends have. I was told this is a normal "phase" for some 3 and 4 year olds to go through. But, if you are concerned, you should get him tested at a private speech therapy place or talk to your pediatrician about your other options through the public school system.

Not starting speech therapy until they are 4 is absolutely untrue. Kids can start speech therapy when they are born if you want to. My son has been in speech therapy since he turned 2. There is a state program called "Birth to Three" that kids under 3 can go through. You should ask your pediatrician about it. Once you are 3, you can start speech therapy through your public preschool. Go get your child screened for preschool through the public school system to see if you qualify. In addition, there are always private agencies that see your children. They are in the phonebook.

If you are at all concerned about any area of development for your child, discuss it with your pediatrician. If you still aren't happy, there are many private therapy places around that can test your child to see if they are behind at all developmentally.