Anyone with info on stuttering...for 2 1/2 year old...

I can beginning to get a little concerned for DD....I've noticed in the last week or s that she has been kinda stuttering...not your typical stuttering, but when she goes to start a sentence, she will kind stutter or repeat the first word a few times before she actually gets the sentence out...At first I thought it was just when she was very excited about something, but after spending the day with her yesterday, its not just then...Can a child start stuttering at 2 1/2 years old when they have been talking for a while?? I tend to overreact with my two kids-being a first time mom to twins...but I'm worried for DD....Any suggestions....

 

Actually, it is pretty normal. Basically, her brain is running faster than her mouth, and the hesitation is a way for her to slow down the though process. The only thing I can think of is just asking her to slow down. It should go away as she gets more words and finds easier ways to express herself.

 

Hi Jackie! My singleton, Rachel, who is now 2 1/2 years old, went thru the exact same thing about 3 months ago. She is very talkative and can speak quite well, then all of a sudden she started to stutter, especially at the beginning of her sentences. I was soooo concerned. I called my pedi and she told me not to worry at all right now. That children often times go thru stages when they stutter only because their brain is putting the words in quicker than what their mouths can get them out. She said to just give her time and encourage her to slow down. But not to get fustrated with her because that will only make the stuttering worse.
Now, Rachel has completely stopped stuttering. Maybe once in a while when she is really tired or excited, but otherwise she doesn't. But like I said, the period was quite short. Only about 3 months or so.
I hope this helps out some. Sorry so long!

Kim

 

Joshua did this also, more so than Jeremiah, they were 4. I agree with the others , it is just their brains working faster than their mouths. Joshua still does it some but it is not as much as it was, They have notes about it at school and can evaluate it anytime, don't think they have though. Good Luck

 

Emma did this for a short phase around that age... I finally just said to her one day, "Emma when you start to say somethng just take your time and think about it...you don't have to repeat yourself" and amazingly shortly thereafter she stopped the stuttering... I don't know if I just brought it to her attention or if she just slowed down more so that she stopped doing it...or maybe she just outgrew it... I think they just get so excited to be able to communicate that their brain works faster than their tongue will go. My mom was starting to get nervous over Emma though, so I'm glad she stopped. I had a friend whose dd did the same thing..and one of her friends was a speech therapist...when my friend voiced her concern over her dd the speech therapist just laughed and told her it was perfectly normal thing for kids to go through. Well..at least we all worry about the same things!!

 

Completely normal! (I am a pediatric speech-language pathologist) At this age (the preschool years), it is called normal childhood dysfluency and many children experience it. It occurs around the same time there is an increase in language development. My recommendation is to ignore it. Your daughter is most likely completely unaware it is even happening and you don't want to bring her attention to it (that may make her focus more on it and cause it to continue). Simply give her the time to get her thoughts out without interrupting her or speaking for her (even if you know what it is she is trying to say). When she is finished, simply repeat what she said in a natural manner so she knows you understood her and are acknowledging what she said. This will also provide her with an easy model of smooth speech.
If the problem exists at age 5 or older, or if the child becomes so aware and frustrated by it that it interferes with their communicative attempts, then I would seek an evaluation and therapy. Otherwise, relax and do nothing...it is completely normal and something almost every child goes through at some point in their preschool years.
HTH

 

Thank you so much to everyone that responded....I feel so much better now...I'm often made to feel like I'm overreacting by others...I'm still worried, but will do anything to help her...