2 1/2 Year Old Started Stuttering

my daughter did the same thing and was an early talker as well but then grew out of it. I wouldnt worry about it. I think he is a smart boy and his brain is going faster than his words.

My daughter is the same age and when she started stuttering I freaked out! It just came out of nowhere. I mentioned it to her teacher and she said not to worry about it. We worked really h*** o* not finishing her words or sentences for her and trying not to make a big deal out of the stuttering. She did it for about 2 or 3 weeks and then it went away on its own. She still stammers on a word or two every now and then but other than that she's fine. I think it will probably go away on its own. Try not to worry. Good luck!

I noticed my kids's stuttering began before a growth spurt and ended after. It usually also coincided with a brain increase in words and understanding. It is usually nothing to worry about. Good luck! Enjoy your time with them!
--C. Willis
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MIne did too!!! It may be a boy thing. He got soooooo excited that he couldn't get it out fast enough and stuttering...I worried. My MIL, who was a teach told me not to worry. I just told my son to slow down (it helps)! and one day I realized he quit stuttering. I think he'll be ok. But talk to the Dr. if you're worried. My son was an early talker too.

Hi C.!

When my children were all about that age my Dr. reminded me that stuttering is completely normal at that age because there brains are working so much faster than there little mouths are moving. So he said not to pay attention to it. If it is bothering you check with your Dr. I don't do anything to stop it...just let them talk. Eventually they have outgrown it.

M.

I used to work at a daycare in a gym and had a child that started the same thing..her onset was changing houses and schools. The mom said that they are suppose to ignore the stuttering and be patient so they can still speak what they need to say don't address the stuttering directly and that it will work itself out. That is what her MD told her, but she did take her to the MD cuz she didn't know what had caused the sudden stuttering. She did stop a couple months later.

Dear C., My second son was 20 months when his brother was born. #2 was an early walker and talker. When #3 was born I was VERY interested in #2 completing potty training so I'd have only one baby in (cloth) diapers. I used a very positive approach with lots of love and support. #2 began stuttering BADLY. Like your little one, #2 had great difficulty getting the first few words out. I totally backed off the potty training, never mentioning it to #2. It took months, but the stuttering faded. When he was ready, #2 potty trained just fine and the stuttering phase became only a weird memory...for me. The stuttering took me by surprise and I am grateful that just removing pressure from the little guy did the trick.

My oldest has had stuttering problems.... she is now almost 7 & doesn't do it very often. I took her to a speech therapist when she was 3 & she said that my daughter's brain was going faster than her mouth. Don't bring attention to the stuttering & tell others not to as well.... you don't want him self conscious of it. Get down on his level when he is talking to you so he know that he has your full attention. If he does know he is doing it you can tell him to just slow down cause you are listening. My daughter has gone through ups & downs w/ her stuttering. She usually does it now if she is excited when she is talking to her sisters & thinks they are not going to listen to her telling them what to do or when she wants others to hear her while they are playing. She usually only does it during the beginning of her sentence as well.... he will probably out grow it. :) Blessings!

Usually, starting at three, school districts will provide speech services. If you don't see the problem correcting soon, check with your local school district for some support. You're peditrician could probably give you some guidance on the issue as well.

Hi C.,
I have a 3 year old who started stuttering off and on after his baby brother was born. He is also an excellent talker.

I look at it this way: everyone stutters under stress. Calling unnecessary attention to a stuttering child will only increase stress. As long as it comes and goes, leave it alone, and don't be tempted to finish his sentences for him, or discuss it with others in front of him.

My son's stutter is in and out, and will be "out" for months at a time. I see it as a sign he's stressed, and leave it alone. If his stutter is frustrating to him, without attention from you, remind him to take a deep breath and, "say it again."

T

I personally wouldn't acknowledge it in his prescence. I think the more you do, or the more you correct him, the worse it will get. I actually started stuttering about 8 years ago for some reason. Only with certain words, and the more I thought about it, the worse it got. I stopped after a year or so. Could this be a result of the new baby? Is he getting attention when he stutters? He could be reacting subconsiously without realizing it. I'd give it a few months at least, without mentioning it and see what happens. Good luck!

My second child started to do that after my third was born. I noticed you have a new baby. That might be part of it especially if he was a pretty good talker before. I didn't make too big of a deal with it, I just tried to pay more attention to him when he was talking to me. I would say look at me and then say slow down and then I would listen. It only lasted a few months and then he stopped.
It'll be OK
C.

Hi C., my best friends son is going through the same thing right now and he is the same age. First, I would recommend that you talk to your doctor about it. My friend talked with her doctor and was told that stuttering is actually a common phase that many 2 1/2 years old toddlers go through and they eventually outgrow it without the need for intervention. The doctor suggested to my friend to wait 6 months and then have a follow up appointment to determine if there is a need for further testing/observation or speech therapy. Because she didn't contact the doctor right away when the stuttering began (she waited almost 3 months) they decided to do a follow up appointment sooner. The doctor told her to relax about the stuttering and not try to correct him or get angry with him- basically just plug through it.

Because every doctor has their own philosophies and backgrounds, I would recommend you start there first. Best of luck and congratulations on the new baby!

I forgot that our daughter did this too until I read your post. She also was an early talker. She grew out of it within 5-6 months. With her, I think her thoughts were coming quicker than the words.
I heard that stuttering isn't a real issue until 6 or 7 years of age.

My daughter also stuttered around the same age, had a little sister at 2. She was an early talker/reader with an extensive vocabulary. By the time she was in preschool, it hadn't gone away and the preschool teacher suggested we get a free screening at the elementary school. She was in speech therapy until 4th grade, an has now gone away. The advise we were given was to model slower speech and they will follow. So, speak slower to them (it's hard if you're a fast talker). Don't bring atention to it. Do not finish, or help them start their sentances. Try to slow down the pace of things in their life at home so you're not always rushing around. If they feel rushed all the time, they may feel like they need to hurry to get the words out too. I would give it until preschool, and then look into the school screening (call the district office for info) if it hasn't gone away by then. If he has any "ticks" associated with the stuttering, then pursue help sooner.

Both of my children have stuttered on and off. I have read some books on the subject and they say that when children are progressing in their speech, their mouth can't keep up with their brain, so this happens. If it prolongs for more than a few months, I would have him checked out.
K.

Hi C.-
Sounds like you have gotten some great advice.

My oldest son stuttered at about the same age- my pediatrician said it was because his brain was ahead of his mouth (so you can probably rest confident that he's a smart boy!).... he will probably grow out of it.

But, my third son did have some minor speech delays and we got help through the Chandler public schools... the teachers and the therapist he had were wonderful; it was a great program. Since then, he's been a great reader and at the top of his class academically.

Hope this is encouraging! Have a great week!

Toni

Hi There, i also have a two year old who will be 3 in April and he started doing exactly the same thing (always at start of sentences) last summer, again he was early talker. Anyway i spoke to a friend, who is also a speech therapist and she informed me it was probably just normal disfluency and is VERY common particularly in boys at this stage of development. Anyway she advised me just to ignore it, NEVER ask him to slow down but for me to slow my speech down when i was talking to him as they learn by mimicking us, and not to finish his sentences for him. However she did ask if there was any family history of stammering as this and the fact that he is male does put him at a slightly higher risk of having a stammer. Anyway my outcome is i was willing to give it to his 3rd birthday before taking it further and to my delight it has all but ceased in the past month, very occasionaly he may stutter slightly if he is excited but otherwise he is a perfect speaker again. Hope this helps and reassures you.
L.

My three year old son does this occasionally and I can tell that it always happens when he's trying to say a particularly long sentence (more like stammering, really). It's almost as if his mouth has to repeat that first word a few times while his brain works out the rest of the sentence. I just try to wait patiently and not make an issue of it. He never used to do it, so I am certain that it's a normal developmental phase and will pass in time.

I think this is also the case with your son since it is something that only happens at the beginning of a sentence. A true stutter is focused more on certain sounds or words.

Here is an interesting article I found on it:

http://www.answers.com/topic/stuttering

My daughter did the same thing and believe it or not, she had strep throat. She had no symtoms for strep throat, but I had it so I had her tested as well. She had it and as soon as the antibiotics kicked in the stuttering stopped. I know strep is rampant in the valley right now. If your other kids have had it you might want to get your son tested as well even if he doesn't seem sick.

My son did the same thing and it is very normal. I was concerned too so I consulted with my neighbor, she's a speach teacher. She said the mouth and keep up with the brain. They learn so much so quickly at that age. She also said not to make a fuss or big deal about it and just let them finish the word on their own. It's frustrating and so hard not to help them get the words out. The stuttering should go away on it's own. Don't worry your son is very normal. ;->