Seeking Advice About Stuttering That Just Started with 2.5Yr Old Daughter

I have a son that is four, that is very intelligent as well. He had a stuttering problem for a very short time when he was younger. It has been awhile, but I do remember it. I was so worried when it happened! It is normal for them to go through this. Her brain is thinking faster than her words can catch up with. I read about this online when my son was going through it, and it recommended just trying not to draw attention to it, as it would pass. You don't want it to become a point of anxiety for her when it happens, because that will just make it worse. This will probably pass quickly. It did for us. My son is doing great, and is still very verbally advanced. Take care.

Hello! This exact same situation happened with my daughter at about 1 1/2 years of age. She just couldn't speak as fast as her brain was working! She was quite verbal and had great communication skills. I was so worried having worked in the field of pediatric oncology with a specialty in Brain tumors. YIKES!!! At the time this started we were in the process of a move and anticipating the arrival of baby #3. She seemed otherwise unphased by everything. It lasted only a couple of weeks and we just kept reminding her to slow down and take her time. She bounced back and I'd actually forgotten about the situation!

Good luck!

I am a Speech Language Pathologist who has specialized in fluency disorders (aka "stuttering'). I agree with some of the advice you have been given so far and some of it I do not. Here is my take on it...
As long as your child does not have a family history of speech disorders (not necessarily stuttering), I would not be terribly alarmed at this age and with this degree of stuttering. Every child and adult has "normal dysfluencies" that occur in everyday speech. Be on the look out for things like facial grimacing, your daughter seeming stressed or anxious about her dysfluency, her refusal to talk when it happens, or her substitution of other words when she begins to stutter on a particular word. As long as she is just getting caught up on the first sound at the beginning of a sentence and it isn't happening really frequently, I would chalk it up to occasional motor planning difficulties (the brain having trouble sending signals to the speech muscles). We all do this at times and yes, the stress (even if it is positive stress) of awaiting her baby brother's arrival is enough to mix up the signals a bit from time to time. Keep an eye on it. Most likely, it will go away on its own over the next few months as she adjusts to the new baby. If any of the secondary behaviors like I described earlier begin to occur or if her dysfluency becomes really frequent, that is the time to take her to your pediatrician and ask for a referral to a Speech Language Pathologist. However, you are her mother and if your instinct tells you something is really wrong, go ahead and take her in. I have certainly treated two year olds with fluency problems.
In the meantime, DO wait patiently for your daughter to say what she wants to say. DO NOT tell her to stop and think about what she wants to say before she speaks. She is 2 1/2 and she can only think about what she wants to say for so long before she is thinking about something else. Calling attention to the dysfluency will only make her self-conscious and anxious about speaking.
Feel free to contact me directly if I can answer any questions.
Good luck!
- J. :-)

Hi G.,
It is not too early to have her evaluated. I would call Infants and Toddlers and talk to them. Our 8 year old started to stutter around 3 and we had her in speech therapy starting then. It has helped a lot. Most of the time they outgrow this, but it never hurts to get them evaluated. Hope this helps!

Blessings,
T.
www.mybabycrazy.com

I stuttered at the same age....my mom (and my grandma came down for a visit them too) as soon as i op-op-opened my mouth they would say STOP!!!! now think about what you are going to say.......now say it. and it took about 1 week of constant STOP, but sure enough I was cured. I think sudden stuttering at this age comes from having so much to say (you say how bright she is so in sure she is inquisitve), and talking before youy think about it....good luck

This happened with my DS who is now 4-1/2 y.o.-- he was probably 2-1/2 or 3 at the time (with a baby brother on the way). He was an early talker, very bright and communicated easily with us and others. Then, he would do the same "stuttering" thing that you mention about your DD. It worried me b/c my dad grew up with a stuttering problem and he fought a tough battle to overcome it. I mentioned my DS's stuttering to my friend who is a special resources teacher in the public school system, and she said he was doing this b/c he liked the way it sounded and "felt" on his tongue. I kept my eye on it and tried not to obsess, and lo and behold, it cleared itself up just as she said. It in fact was a phase. I would watch her and see if anything changes and then seek professional help if it gets worse or does not disappear in a timeframe you feel comfortable about. Best of luck to you!