Stuttering

dimondwind · February 2013

This is my first time posting to this board, so please forgive me if stuttering/speech problems are not considered special needs. I just don't know where else to ask this.

My son has a pretty bad stuttering problem, which he's had for over a year. We always thought he'd grow out of it, but he's not, so we got him tested and were approved for therapy. We start in a few weeks with a stuttering specialist.

At our evaluation meeting they told us that they treat stuttering differently than other speech problems, since its core is anxiety issues (?).

Just wondering if anyone else here has gone though this...it would be nice to hear from others in the same situation. He's 3.5 and a pretty happy kid, but it breaks my heart when he gets so frustrated when he talks.

rsd12 · February 2013

None of my children stutter, but my 12 year old nephew is a stutterer. Three and a half years old is really young to be diagnosed, since it can be age appropriate. Hopefully he can grow out of it, if by 5 or 6 he still stutters then you might want to find a specialist that deals with stuttering. So frustrating I am sure, but it is not caused by anxiety.

A great organization and helpful information is the national stuttering association at www.westutter.com. He still works with a speech specialist in stuttering to learn how to use tools to manage his stuttering.

dimondwind · February 2013

rsd12:
None of my children stutter, but my 12 year old nephew is a stutterer. Three and a half years old is really young to be diagnosed, since it can be age appropriate. Hopefully he can grow out of it, if by 5 or 6 he still stutters then you might want to find a specialist that deals with stuttering. So frustrating I am sure, but it is not caused by anxiety. A great organization and helpful information is the national stuttering association at www.westutter.com. He still works with a speech specialist in stuttering to learn how to use tools to manage his stuttering.

Thanks for the link. Do you think his therapy is working?

I agree that 3.5 is young to be diagnosed, but it's so bad and frequent that they were able to tell this is a problem and not just normal speech development

rsd12 · February 2013

dimondwind:
rsd12:
None of my children stutter, but my 12 year old nephew is a stutterer. Three and a half years old is really young to be diagnosed, since it can be age appropriate. Hopefully he can grow out of it, if by 5 or 6 he still stutters then you might want to find a specialist that deals with stuttering. So frustrating I am sure, but it is not caused by anxiety.

A great organization and helpful information is the national stuttering association at www.westutter.com. He still works with a speech specialist in stuttering to learn how to use tools to manage his stuttering.
 
Thanks for the link.  Do you think his therapy is working?  
I agree that 3.5 is young to be diagnosed, but it's so bad and frequent that they were able to tell this is a problem and not just normal speech development  

The thing about the therapy is the child has to want to use the tools, it is not an easy fix like articulation which my kids do/did have issues with. Let's just say he is 12, diagnosed since he was 5 and still stutters daily. It really is learning how to cope with the stutter.I feel bad about saying this but it can't be cured.

jayro10 · February 2013

I am a preschool speech therapist, so I hope I can give some insight.

Stuttering is very typical in young children your son's age, especially because their language is developing so rapidly and their mouths can't always keep up with their brains. However, if it has been going on for a year or more, it would not be considered a developmental, typical thing. Usually, we say that if it has been going on for 6 months or more, that's when it's time to have a speech evaluation.

Your child may not necessarily have a generalized anxiety issue, but probably more of a specific anxiety related to speech, since he does feel frustrated when talking. The best thing you can do (which you've probably heard already from your child's speech therapist) is to speak to him in a slow, relaxed way. Don't finish his sentences for him; don't put pressure on him to speak; and make sure others know to act the same way.

I have treated several preschool children who stutter and end up no longer qualifying for speech therapy because of their progress. Good luck!

dimondwind · February 2013

jayro10:
I am a preschool speech therapist, so I hope I can give some insight.Stuttering is very typical in young children your son's age, especially because their language is developing so rapidly and their mouths can't always keep up with their brains. However, if it has been going on for a year or more, it would not be considered a developmental, typical thing. Usually, we say that if it has been going on for 6 months or more, that's when it's time to have a speech evaluation.Your child may not necessarily have a generalized anxiety issue, but probably more of a specific anxiety related to speech, since he does feel frustrated when talking. The best thing you can do which you've probably heard already from your child's speech therapist is to speak to him in a slow, relaxed way. Don't finish his sentences for him; don't put pressure on him to speak; and make sure others know to act the same way.I have treated several preschool children who stutter and end up no longer qualifying for speech therapy because of their progress. Good luck!

Thank you so much for this response :

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