My Child is Starting to Stutter

Stuttering can be a part of normal child language development. We often see this happen between the ages of 3-5 as children are becoming more conversational and they’re using longer sentences and telling longer stories. Their ideas and their brains are working faster than their mouths can keep up. This happens to us as adults at times as well. It can look like a child telling a story about an event and repeating usually just the beginning of the phrase. (Eg: “and then we, and then we, and then we played kick ball.') This is pretty normal and usually sorts out on its own.

Still, how we as adults (and siblings) react is extremely important. Just ignore it. Don’t ask your child to repeat it or slow down. They typically don’t even realize they are doing it, but as soon as we bring attention to it (especially repeatedly) they start to feel like they are messing up and become more worried about it.

Then increased anxiety about communication sneaks in and the stuttering changes to “I wa-wa-wa-want, to to to to to go outsssssside.” You start hearing repetition of single sounds or long gaps with a stuck open mouth posture. If this has begun, sometimes you can reverse it by again, ignoring it and letting the child have time. It also helps to just decrease the general pressure and stress at home if you have seen that begin to creep up. Things such as, giving them time to get done what they need to rather than rushing them, decreasing your reactions to spilled milk or messes around the house. A general decrease in stress can sometimes result in decreased pressure and anxiety, helping a more intense stutter to resolve on its own. However, if you see stuttering increasing and your child becoming more and more aware and worried, its likely time to seek out intervention.