3 Year Old Starting to Stutter

Updated on April 02, 2008
C.S. asks from Reno, NV
8 answers

Hi, I have asked question on here before and have gotten great responses to my former questions, so I am asking again for some input, advice, and ideas. Our 3 year old has just started stuttering, a few days ago. He has trouble spitting out the word "I" and "on", there was one more that I noticed but I can't remember what word it was. Usually he only stutters at the beginning of a sentence. We have had him repeat "I" and "on" to us and he will say them normally. Not sure if this is related to his stuttering problem or not, but between the ages of 18months and 2 1/2 he had nightmares and night terrors almost everynight, luckily they are just random now. Any advice, thoughts or opinions would be great.... thank you in advance,
C.

That was my original request....
I have gotten a few responses so for and thank you for that, but I feel like I need to clarify a little on having him repeat a few words back to us. We have only asked him one time and that was only because we were puzzled by the sudden change in his speaking and also because we wanted to see if it was just sentences he was having trouble with or the actual words. We don't point it out or make a big deal out of it at all. Well my 5 year old asks him why he says I-I-I-I-I, I stop him right away and tell him to let his brother speak, and he has only asked twice so far.. so its not really an issue with him yet. I like the idea from one response that maybe his brain is working faster and that his words are trying to catch up. I just want to say also that I fully agree in not making an issue out of this even when it gets a little annoying :), but I never try to finish his words for him.. I let him get them out no matter how long it takes. I guess I should also ask, how long do I wait to consider this just a phase or if he does actually have a stuttering problem, he starts school in two years, and you know how some kids can be cuel. Thank you all again to those who responded so far,
C.

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So What Happened?

I just want to say Thank You to all who responded to my request! My sons stuttering has been increasing, but we are taking it one day at a time, allowing him to finish his words without rushing him, and giving him our full attention while he speaks.

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A.G.

answers from Las Vegas on

It could very well be a real problem, but my daughter started stuttering around 3, she took a while to get words out and exactly what was mentioned before, her brain was working faster than she could get the words out!! :) She is 4 now and speaks wonderfully and very clearly with no stuttering! (however she does repeat the word NO over and over again! lol)

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E.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have three chidren ranging from 8 to 3. From my experience, and friends who I know who have children, stuttering is very common at this age. They tend to have so many thoughts and can't get them out fast enough. By four years old, it goes away. A friend of mine took her son to a speech therapist for this problem, and she said the same thing...but I would recommend you ask your doctor just in case (but, it is very very common!!)

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T.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

C., not really a help, but I am interested in the responses. We noticed our 3 year old starting to stutter as well. He just turned 3 and started a few months ago. He goes to a preschool program a couple days a week and the teacher told me that she noticed it also but it is not all the time. I notice it especially with words that start with "W" (we, want etc). The teacher told me that this is usually a sign that the mind is developing faster than the words or speech is and they will grow out of it. Not sure if she was saying that to make me feel better or not, but it does make sense (probably because that is easier than thinking he has a speech problem). Anyway, will be interested to see the responses you get.

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M.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

If you were learning a new skill, you'd do it over and over until you got it right too. Talking is a new skill, he has to practice again and again until he gets it right. Just be patient until he gets the word out that he's trying to say. My daughter is 5 and sometimes gets stuck on a sound until her brain puts two sounds together to make the word. I was told it's because her brain is working faster than her mouth.
M.

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L.A.

answers from San Diego on

First and foremost, stop calling attention to your son's stuttering. Do not ask him to repeat a stuttered word. You could very well create the very problem you fear! I have four sons, and I did daycare in my home, too. I have lots of experience with this age range and it is completely normal. Some kids do, some kids don't. Two of mine did, two didn't. Many of the kids I babysat did this. They are all over 20 now and not a one has a stuttering problem. I am acquainted with a 21 year old young lady who does have a bona fide stuttering problem. It began, as most stuttering problems do, at the age of 4. Only time will tell whether your son has a real stuttering problem. You just cannot judge such a thing at his age because so many kids do it at this age. here is the important thing to remember. By calling attention to it and making it an issue, if he does wind up to have a stuttering problem, your actions could make it much worse. A child who is frustrated by a parent pointing out the problem may be more likely to tighten or tense speech muscles when stuttering occurs. Such tension may increase how long the stuttering lasts. Your response to his stuttering can aggravate his fluency difficulties. People who stutter vary widely in how they react to the problem. Some appear to be minimally concerned. Others—especially those who have encountered unfavorable reactions from parents and other listeners —may develop emotional responses to stuttering that hinder their speech even more. Shame, embarrassment, and anxiety will become associated with talking, and a minor stuttering problem will become a serious, lifelong disability.
It can be frustrating and time consuming to listen to a little kid who stutters now and then. I know! :0) But allow your son to get his words out in his own good time, do not draw attention to it, and chances are, he will outgrow it in a few years.

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K.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

C.,

I don't think you need to wait long at all - You can go to your local school district and request a speech evaluation - If it is nothing...GREAT! But if there is something that can be done- the earlier the better

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D.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi C.,

Both my girls are grown now (at the university and ready to graduate yeahhhhhh!!!!) But in those early years, i had similar problems... my advice would be take it easy! Many times if you ignore it, it works itself out. I would say get them talky toys and computers so they can know how sentence structure sounds. He's still young, so it's not like he's applying to Harvard just yet, I wouldn't worry. Don't act scared or nervous that he's doing this, kids pick up on vibes. He'll be alright. Re: the nightmares, i let my kids know that God is always protecting them and nightmares are something that everybody has once in a while... The best thing that I did for my kids is act normal when they were going through their crazy phases! The other best thing I did was take a child psychology class at valley college.. the professor there has run a day care on campus for 30 years, and that class helped me so much understand my kids through all of their phases:) good luck! D.

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N.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Just wanted to let you know a few things and ask a few questions. First, I am a speech pathologist and want to tell you that, at age 3, stuttering (or dysfluency, as we like to say), can be very typical. It sounds like mostly ‘whole word repetitions’ rather than “sound repetitions’, which is what we expect at this age. Does he ever completely get ‘blocked’ (noting comes out and it looks effortful)? Does it change with mood (excitement or anger)? Some great things to do are…make and keep eye contact when talking, don’t finish his thoughts, and slow things down. You can even reassure him by telling him that he has you attention and that you are really interested it what he has to say! If you would like my number let me know and we can talk further.
N.
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