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 Stuttering is a condition most commonly seen in children, especially toddlers and preschoolers. This form of stuttering is known as developmental stuttering, and it very rarely continues in adulthood. During the formative period of when children learn to form words, sounds and sentences together, they may tend to:

• Stumble on words in an attempt to pronounce them
• Struggle to find words hence end up repeating a word several times before they can find another suitable word
• Jumble up their sounds
• Find it challenging to create certain sounds hence repeating syllables or sounds

The exact causes of stuttering is not known, but there have been studies that shown a genetic connection. If the parent faced or faces stuttering, the child is most likely to experience the condition. It is also most commonly seen in boys than girls. It is normal to parents to worry about their child’s stuttering but they have a cause to be concerned if the condition persists, and gets worse with time.

About one in five children at some stage face this disorder. Normal dysfluency can begin from the ages of 18 to 24 months, and may be recurrent till the age of 5. Parents sometimes are unaware of how to deal with stuttering and their toddlers, and imagine it to be a bigger problem than it normally is. A normal child’s thought process is much quicker than their verbal skills, and in an effort to coordinate the two they invariably end up stuttering. And this condition is enhanced when they are excited or are in a stressful situation. As children grow, the need to communicate gets stronger. They are trying to build their social skills, gain acceptance, and most importantly they are finally learning to tell you and others what they want, and expressing themselves in the best way known to them.

A 2 year old stuttering is most common as this is usually the onset of coherent verbal expression, this also works for a 3 year old stuttering. Children rarely begin to stutter after the age of 6. While parents are just beginning to marvel at their child’s rapid development, preschool stuttering might just take them aback. It is very important that parents recognize this as a temporary developmental hitch and encourage their child with positivity and activities to help them through this phase. Some things that parents and/or care takers can do are:

• Do not show hesitation or troubled emotions if your child stutters. Children are very clued in to emotions and may think that they are doing something wrong reading your emotions and behavior, making them nervous.
• Do not try to finish their sentences, words or sounds for them. Let them find their way through it. Interference will only make them form a habit of you completing what they want to say. They must build speech-confidence themselves with the help of positive words and praise from you.
• Help your child only if he asks for assistance.
• If your child tries to talk to you at a very rapid pace due to excitement or stress, urge them gently to slow down. Do not make them repeat their sentences entirely or correct them, this might make them hesitant or not want to talk at all.
• Strongly disallow older children or siblings from making jokes or fun of the stuttering, it is best to remain as poised and calm as possible, if a situation should arise.
• Engage your child in fun conversations and activities without outward distractions or interruptions.
• Do not be critical of your child’s stuttering or persist on them correcting their speech. They might connect speech with stress, and this could have a long-lasting impact.

Talk to your pediatrician if the stuttering lasts for more than 6 months.

References

1. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/stutter.aspx

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