Is my child stuttering? If so, what should I do?

Lisa R. LaSalle, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Article published in the February 1999 edition of the School News

There are three basic categories of stuttering. The onset of stuttering typically happens between two to five years of age. So, if your toddler or preschooler has only been stuttering for a month or so, and you are questioning whether stuttering is really a problem, your child is in the "early stuttering" category. Your child may be repeating words occasionally when excited or when expressing longer, more complex sentences or ideas (e.g., "I-I-I think um we should share.") You may have known a child who passed through a short phase of stuttering and has since recovered. To help a child overcome early stuttering, listen more to what he says than how he says it. Also, follow these three "S's" in your speech model: Slow, Shorten and Simplify. Aim to sound something like your own version of Fred Rogers on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood (PBS TV).

The second category requires you to seek help from a speech-language pathologist. Do this when your instinct tells you there is a problem. Your child may be repeating sounds or syllables ("luh-luh-like this") or prolonging sounds ("llllike or liiiike this") on a frequent basis and/or with visible or audible struggle. In this category, stuttering may have been occurring for more than six months, but note that inconsistency is a hallmark of childhood stuttering. That is, your child may not stutter much at all for a week or more, only to return to another period of stuttering again. Possibly because of this "waxing and waning" of stuttering, parents wait an average of eighteen months before seeking professional help (Yaruss, LaSalle, and Conture, 1998). There is no need to wait this long to seek help. Try estimating how many times your preschooler stutters during about ten minutes when he/she is particularly talkative. If you count three or more stutters, especially if there is a history of stuttering in your child's family, it is likely that he will not outgrow the problem without help. Early intervention makes all the difference in whether a child will go on to stutter into adulthood or not.

The third category is a more established pattern where stuttering has been occurring for several years, so children in this category are generally of school-age and likely considered "stutterers." Realize it is possible that the stuttering could "go underground," where, to avoid embarrassment and the like, the stutterer does not talk freely. The best intervention in these cases is to surround the child or teen with support from family, friends, and teachers. Be good listeners, intervene with teasers or encourage the stutterer to use "comebacks" with which she is comfortable when teasing does occur. Help children or teens who stutter to understand that they can be anything they want to be in spite of their stuttering. Speech services can help to lessen the severity of the problem in these school-age cases, but usually can not "cure" the problem like preschool intervention can do.

Questions or comments? Contact Dr. Lisa LaSalle at the Center for Communication Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire by phone (715) 836-3805 or by email: LASALLLR@UWEC.EDU. Dr. LaSalle is currently conducting a research project in which your 2- to 5-year-old child can receive a stuttering evaluation free of charge.

Reference:

Yaruss, J.S., LaSalle, L.R., and Conture, E.G. (1998). Evaluating stuttering in young children: Diagnostic data. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 7, 62-76.

See the Stuttering Home Page for a one-stop source on a lot of information about stuttering.