Stuttering, It Hasn't Gone Away...

As a former pre-school teacher and the mother of a child in speech therapy, I would consider looking up a pediatric therapy center in the yellow pages. (It may be easier to find if you look up Physical Therapy, but pediatric centers usually have speech too or can tell you where to call.)

They would do an evaluation and let you know if they believe he will need therapy or not and you can decide if he needs to attend through the summer or maybe they can give you some ideas to do at home.

One thing I have found helps (I used to have a little girl in my class who stuttered) is to touch the child's arm gently when they start to talk to you. Sometimes it makes them take a breath and slow down. You can also just smile and gently remind him to slow down.

I hope this helps.

P. <><

Schools usually offer speech therapy. Check with the school when school is back in, they usually have specialists that can help.

I would call the district or as soon as school starts let his teacher know your concern. They should be able to test him and see if he qualifies for speech or some kind of therapy. You may get the response that it will go away with time. My son did not stutter, but pronounced certain sounds the wrong way. They did test him in Pre-K(as a precaution)and he did not qualify for any therapy. I am happy to say he did out grow it, but it did take almost a year. The therapists was able to give us certain excercises to work with him at home also. I agree to go with your gut too and be persistant with the school if you feel there is a problem. It can be a lengthy process to get tested because of paper work from the school. Your district may be different, but that has been my experience. I wish you luck!

Hi A., I have 2 friends who are sisters. All 3 of their boys started stuttering between the ages of about 2-4. The oldest, now 12 hasn't stuttered since about 2nd grade with no help, just patience. The middle child will be in 2nd grade this year and still stutters some but not near as much as he used to. The youngest still stutters all the time but is only 5. Just from knowing these kids I think your son will be just fine. I wouldn't draw any attention to it or finish his sentence for him, just be patient and hear him speak.

Get him into speech therapy now!, get a referal, but do it ASAP, I lost a close friend to suicide, cuz she had a stutter that her parents thought she would grow out of, and finally she couldn't take it anymore. Drastic example, but a true story. Easier to fix it now than wait until later.

You also don't have to wait on the school or go through the school district if you Do want to get help. My son was speech delayed and the pediatrician ordered a speech eval on him. He was put in speech therapy. I did have to pay my insurance co-pay though, for each visit.

-L.

I think maybe it will go away with time. My step-son still stutters, and he's 12. It's not bad, his brain is just going faster than his mouth can spit the words out. My step-daughter has a lisp for the longest time, and she just came in town this weekend and it is finally going away, she'll be 9 in Feb. Maybe it will just take some more time.
Good luck, looks like you have your hands full.

Hi A.:) I am a speech pathologist, so I've had a little experience with this. The information you were presented is correct. However, if your son was a late talker, he may be going through that 3-4 year old stage late. Has it gotten worse? Does your son seem aware that his speech is problematic? If so, I suggest you get him in to see a speech path asap. Because of his age, he qualifies for free services from the school system. Since it is summer, it may be worth finding an outpatient therapist to assess him sooner. Now, that said, you should try not to call attention to his speech. He is at an age where he could easily realize that he has a problem...and, unfortunately, that usually makes it worse. Keep your eye out for what we call "secondary characteristics," physical things like blinking, grimacing, or slapping his leg when he stutters. That usually indicates that the stuttering may be becoming more than just a "stage."

The very best thing you can do is ALWAYS make eye contact when he is speaking (and having trouble), listen WITHOUT interrupting or trying to finish his sentences, and model SLOW, steady, direct speech. You may feel funny talking so slowly, but just do it! Try to speak naturally, but S L O W L Y. It is amazing how just that little step helps. If he knows he has plenty of time to express himself, and he hears slow, calm, simple speech, he is less likely to try to feel stressed or rush through his utterances. Tell others in the family to do the same.

If your sweet son is already showing some concern about his speech, go ahead and acknowledge it, but don't make a big deal of it. Ask your doc for a referral to a local speech path who specializes in your son's age group. Best of luck to you:)

Hi A.,

I am a speech-language pathologist, and did a lot of extra work in the area of stuttering when I worked in P.I.S.D., and have continued with my private practice.

Stuttering presents itself in many ways. There are the repetitions - which can occur as phrases, words, syllables, and truly fragmented parts of words. Each would indicate a somewhat different level of stuttering. There is also the prolongation. Since this is never a part of typical speech and language development, you might want to consider contacting a speech-language pathologist. Finally there is the block (air seems trapped in the voice box/throat). This too, is never a part of the typical developmental pattern. Again, I would strongly suggest you contact a speech-language pathologist.

The secondary characteristics, previously mentioned, are often movements children do to try to get their words out fluently. There is a short period of time when the nervous system is sort of "tricked," so it works (i.e. blink my eyes hard and then my words come out smoother) - but just for a short time. Then further stimulation is required to again trick the nervous system. Therefore, I would strongly suggest you not touch your child's arm to stimulate slower speech. Any tactile cue could easily mimic that tricked nervous system effect, and would eventually require a stronger stimulus.

Please consider seeking assistance for your son. Every bit of research points to early intervention. There are many opportunities in this area. UTD/Callier Center even offers a special camp for children who stutter.

Finally, if your child has a rough time getting something out - don't be afraid to acknowledge it. You could easily say, "That seemed tough - but you worked hard and got it out. I'm glad you told me about......" I have spent many hours with the NSA (National Stuttering Association), and what I have heard many adults say is that they thought their stuttering was such a bad thing because their parents pretended it wasn't happening and ignored it. That led the (then) child to feel terrible. I am certain you would not want that for your child.

For more information, you may want to contact the Stuttering Federation of America. They have wonderful resources -- booklets that are only about $5.00. There is one titled something like, "I Think My Preschooler Is Stuttering." They truly offer a wealth of information. The National Stuttering Association also offers quality information.

All the best,
S.
www.startherapyprograms.com

Call the school ask them what they would recommend.
My 5 yr old stutters sometimes when is excited or trying to explain himself.. But you got to follow your mommastincts if you think something is wrong.

Dear A.:

ECI (Early CHildhood Intervention) should help. You can ask your doctor for a recommendation (or the school district). You should be able to get subsidized help that comes to you and works with your schedule and works the therapy into your daily routine.

Good Luck!
Jen

Definitely call the school system and see what they can recommend. They might not be able to do anything until school starts, though.

I wouldn't be too worried about it if it's not a constant thing (you mentioned it was when he was stressed). In fact, I stuttered a little bit when I was in grade school and did grow out of it. However, if I'm stressed or really tired I still do it at 30. It's never been anything that has caused a problem in my life and I never had speech therapy (did they even do that way back when?)

To get him more prepared for school though, you might Google and see if there are some exercises that you could work on during the summer to help him along -- at least to just keep it to a minimum.

Good Luck!