6 Yr Old Stuttering...

Sometimes this is just a phase when brain moves faster than mouth for a couple months. Has anything else changed in the house, the kid's life, interaction with older sibling or friends, etc? If not, I would ignore it for a few months as if phase and if it persists, then see a specialist. Good luck!

There is a difference between stuttering and cluttering. The best thing you can do is ask your ped to find you a speech pathologist who specializes in both and get an evaluation done. You need to know which one it is. Cluttering is easier to handle.

My son had severe speech problems caused specifically by a submucous cleft palate. He started cluttering in first grade. It was one of many problems we had to work out with him.

Please get the eval. A therapist with experience with this is your best bet.

I would not call any attention to it. Just listen to the message being conveyed and converse as usual. Do not let others interrupt, give advice or speak for your child. It's probably because your child is experiencing a burst of thoughts and is not quite ready to express everything efficiently. If it continues, ask for a speech/language pathologist in your school system to do an evaluation in the fall.

For now:
1. Check your schedule to see if there are changes that might overwhelm or overtire this child.
2. Routine is your friend. Predictability helps your child process thoughts faster.
3. If you are a fast speaker, slow down your own rate.
4. If you speak in paragraphs, try to shorten your sentences a bit.
I recommend 3 and 4 from personal experience and the advice of a brilliant speech/language pathologist!

If this is a sudden thing, I think you should try ignoring it. It is most likely a nervous "tic" that will go as suddenly as it started. When my daughter was 6, she started doing this thing with her head, it looked like she was a chicken pecking. It started suddenly, and got worse the more people called attention to it. The ped said to ignore it and it would go away. It did. Then at age 9, she started shaking her head back and forth for no reason. She often knew she was doing it, but couldn't control it. She was under a lot of stress at school. The ped again told me to ignore it, and that really, there was nothing they could do for nervous "tics". We told the teacher to ignore it and the guidance counselor worked with her on stress relievers. It was gone as suddenly as it came on, and lasted a few weeks.

If he is under any stress, I would work with him on some stress relieving strategies. If it continues more than a few weeks, then maybe get a speech eval.

Go to a speech pathologist and have him evaluated. You can check with your local public school, too. They should have a speech-path on staff and can do an evaluation at no charge.

My daughter "stuttered" for a short time at around age six. It turned out to be a processing issue. Her brain was working faster than the motor skills required to speak and it came out like a stutter.

Good luck!

Don't try to fix stuttering until you're taught how by a Speech & Language Pathologist. Things that seem useful, like making him stop and correct his words, actually makes stuttering worse.

Get your pediatrician to make a referral if you need one. Alternately, contact the school district to ask about an evaluation and services.

My son started stuttering around 3 1/2 ...he started speaking close to his 3rd b'day after a year of speech therapy....check w/ your school speech pathologist...my son's disfluency cleared up totally by age 6...and he graduated from speech at the end of 5th grade....good luck

be very patient, don't mention it-cut out TV and electronics-do more large motor skill activities-does your child write with his right and when he should be using his left?

It's likely just a nervous tic. My son has gone through a couple. One was stuttering, one was blinking his eyes. Doc just said to ignore it and eventually it goes away...and they have. I would just wait it out a few months and don't call attention to it. If it doesn't go away talk to your doc.

First of all, don't panic. Sometimes it's just a temporary thing. Encourage your child to slow down and breathe, and don't overreact to it. If you have other kids, make sure they don't make fun of him and see if you can get them to ignore it.

If it persists, get an evaluation - your pedi can refer you to someone. There are probably services available through the schools too so check to see what you are entitled to through the school district. Even during the summer, staff is available in the superintendent's office - your pedi will probably have a working knowledge of this as well.

There are exercises and some focus/concentration skills that can be employed. Often it's short term. So don't panic and don't let your child panic either.