Recent Stuttering in 3 Year Old Boy

Just wanted to add one bit of info. about stuttering. If he is repeating the first word of the sentence like I,I,I,I, don't worry, he will grow out of it. If the stuttering is in the middle of a sentence, I would be more concerned. Hope this helps.

My 4 year old did the same thing when he was 3. I was really concerned because he was hanging on words, repeating them 5 or 6 times before going on and his older brother never went through anything like that. I had the school system test him and he didn't qualify for any help, in fact they said he was above average intelligence and ahead of his peers in many ways. They said he would out grow it; that his brain development kicked into high gear and his speech just needs to catch up. They were right, it only lasted about 4-6 months and he doesn't stutter any more. Hang in there!

Yes, This is very common. I agree with you, that he's got so much going on in his brain and now he has the vocabulary to express it, sometimes they can't find the right words, and get so excited! My son does the same thing. I wouldn't worry about it too much, he'll grow out of it!
God Bless

Had a son who started this at about 4 years old. He was in a four year old program at school at the time and the teacher said they don't worry about it at that age unless it is extremely severe. Never make fun of it. Ask him to slow down and say his words. Sometimes they are just trying to express too quickly like you said and sometimes I think mine just wanted to talk fast so none of our other kids interrupted him!! Good luck. Hope this helps.

Hi there,
Although my son didn't stutter, he all of a sudden developed strange tics (such as eye-blinking and moving his arms and fingers funny). I took him to the pediatrician, who said it was very common at his age...and that it would prob pass. Sure enough, after we made sure not to draw any attention to it (and reassuringly redirect his thoughts/energy onto something fun or positive), his tics eventually passed. My feeling with your son is that it is also a phase, as 3 is really when they begin to articulate more and increase their vocabulary. Obviously I'm not a doc, however, I wanted to ease your mind a bit. Best wishes.

The exact same thing happened with our now 6.5 year old daughter. She had a great vocabulary, was speaking fluently, then the stuttering started. The pedi didn't seem too concerned, told us watch and wait. I read up about it on the internet, lots of times, comes & goes w/o explanation/intervention. It occurred mainly when she was excited or overtired. Just as it came, it went away, almost 1 year later. She has received speech therapy for pronouncation issues since. Check w/ECI in your area if concerned. Be patient & calm about it.

We are going through that right now with our 4YO. Our determination along with a speach therapist is that his brain is working faster than his mouth, which is common. He also has developed some articulation problems that are minor at this age. I recently found out that the Texas Public Schools do a screening for preschool children at no charge and if there is an issue with anything like speach, they can be accepted into a preschool program through the schools where the speach therapist at the schools will work with them. We are doing this right now and our son should start the program next week. Just a thought since it is free where you can nip a problem in the bud before it gets worse or anything else develops where it is taken care of before they start kindergarten.

Good Luck!

When my own child began stuttering at age 3 1/2, it was because of emotional stress - change in family situation. When that resolved itself two months later and our family situation went back to normal, the stuttering disappeared. I saw the same thing happen to my nephew as a small child when he was going through emotional trauma with his father. It slowly got better, but he will occasionally stutter when his dad yells at him.
You didn't mention any changes in the family, but that could certainly bring on a a response such as stuttering.
Leanne

My son did that as well around that age. I was told to pay no attention to it. We didn't say a word. I think it may have lasted a few months, but he just stopped doing it. I would probably not even remember it except that a neighbor was very concerned about him stuttering. Happy parenting!

My now 4 1/2 year old daughter began stuttering sometime around age 3. Just as others have posted, it seemed to be directly related to her brain working faster than her mouth could. The stuttering has gone away and recurred several times over the last year and a half, and I have noticed that it tends to come back when she is experiencing a huge growth in language development. My sister, who is a speech pathologist, advised us to ignore the stuttering UNLESS it is so severe that the child begins to get frustrated with talking. Most of the time, children don't even realize they are stuttering. However, if your son is becoming frustrated, it would be best to take him to your local elementary school for evaluation. Otherwise, just ignore it and know that this too shall pass as do all phases in childhood!

Totally normal. But it does freak you out doesn't it? My first child did it for a couple of months, my second child did it for almost a year. But without any therapy or intervention, the stuttering resolved in both kids. I can't say that I totally ignored it - I would calmly tell them to slow down, but not make a big deal about it. Relax your mind.

Hi M.,
Yes that same thing happened when my son was three. I went and got him test through the Lewisville school system. They said it was totally normal and he did not qualify for any therapy. He only did this for about six months or so then he stopped doing it. He is in third grade now and has no speech problems at all. I really wouldn't worry too much about it. Just try to stop what your doing when he is talking to you and give him your full attention. I wish you all the best of luck!
M.

My niece did this at age 3 and she was taken to a doctor and they said it is because her brain was working faster then her mouth could get the words out. I believe someone already said this but I thought I would just back that up and say it happened to my niece. It went away with no problems.

When my daughter went for her 3 yr check up my pedi said she may start stuttering. He said it is normal at this age. They get so excited and are trying to get it all out so fast that they stutter. He said they will out grow it.

I recently asked a similar question - I was very worried about my almost 2yr. old daughter. The majority of my answers said - It's the age. I've decided to relax and go with that unless I have further reason to be worried. :)

My son did the same thing! He has an older brother and was speaking extremely well at a very young age, he could sing his whole ABC's before he turned two and was speaking full sentences when he was 2, people were amazed at how well he could talk!

But then all of a sudden he started to stutter, I did have a new baby so I think that had a huge part in it. I think he was maybe wanting to sound more babyish and cutesy, but he would even stutter when he cried, so I was confused! My pediatrician told me not to worry and it's probably just a phase.

The phase did pass after a few weeks and he forgot about the stuttering. I just tried to ignore it when he did it, that's what I read to do, to not focus on the stuttering when they do it.

I do think that when kids hit three, even if they don't have a younger sibling, they start to realize that they're not much of a baby anymore and they are turning into a "big kid." I think they still do want to be babied a little bit, so they kind of revert back.

I'm sure it's just a phase, good luck!

I remember my doctor pre-warning me about that. I can't remember the reason, but he said it was normal unless it was the same word or word sounds every time.

Yes it is normal. The most important thing is NOT TO POINT IT OUT OR MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT. It can become more of an issue if it becomes a big deal with those around him.

Both my son and youngest daughter did the same thing around the same age. I have a friend who is a speech therapist, so I asked her what to do. She said nothing. Do not draw attention to it. Do not tell them to slow down or anything. It was very hard, but she was right. They each grew out of it after a short amount of time. My now 6 year old daughter will still occasionally studder, but it is only when she is very excited and is trying to say too much at one time. It is very rare and I am sure that it will one day disappear completely.

Totally typical. My son does it when he can't think of the word he wants or thinks he doesn't have quite the right word. He didn't do it until about 2 months ago and he's been talking up a storm since he was about 16 months old.

My son did the exact same thing at that age. It made me feel concerned, but it was only a phase...I would give it a few months, and visit his doctor if you need peace of mind. I would ignore him doing it for now, as it can become an attention getter for him. Kids love those kind of games!

This is very typical especially in boys and runs in my husbands family. Don't worry though, he will outgrow it around kindergarten. You are very right about his mind working faster than his mouth.

Our son stuttered-we were told he would outgrow it-he did not! He went to the Callier Center and had a great therapist there-we would return to his school and tell the school therapist what was recommended and she refused to help...grrrrr....He was in the 4th grade then. Finally his school got a wonderful patient therapist-that worked well with his other therapy and our son no longer stutters (unless he is very nervous)and he is 26 now!!! Be patient and do not ridicule-ever!!! (Some of the lessons were to take the kids in class to a fast food place and have them order and show them that they did not have to be scared to be there....)Good luck!

I would contact your school district. I think at 3 they can get services and the school district has excellent speech therapists. With mine, one visit to her relieved my concerns and then a few sessions when he was 5 fixed the problem. He was hyperactive and thought too fast for his tongue.

Good luck.

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys

One of my daughters had a similar problem at a similar age. I, too, felt it was because her brain was working faster than her mouth could and in the end I was right about that. But because I didn't want to take any chances I did take her to a speech therapist for evaluation. The speech therapist validated my diagnosis which was a comfort, and from that point on I didn't bring any attention to it and gradually the stuttering stopped.

My daughter spoke perfectly until about that age. then she started to stutter. there is nothing causing it. No one knows why kids stutter. you just have to be patient and let them know that it is okay. keep in mind that 20% of all kids stutter but only 5% of adults. So at some point in time, Usually about 6 to 8 or sometimes later or earlier, it goes away.

My daughter did that. It was short lived though. Don't worry, I think it is just a phase.