Stuttering

About stuttering in children

Stuttering is a speech problem that makes it hard for children to speak smoothly.

Children who stutter most often do it at the start of sentences, but stutters can also happen throughout sentences.

Children might also do nonverbal things when they stutter. For example, they might blink their eyes, grimace, make faces or clench their fists.

There are three main types of stuttering. Children who stutter might have one or more of these types.

Repetitions
This is when a sound, part of a word, whole word, or phrase is repeated over and over. For example:

• ‘A a a and I want that one.’
• ‘An an and I want that one.’
• ‘And and and I want that one.’
• ‘And I, and I, and I want that one.’

Prolongations
This is when a sound is stretched out – for example, ‘Aaaaaaaaaaand I want that one’.

Blocks
This is when a child tries to speak and no sound comes out.

Causes of stuttering in children

We do not really know why stuttering happens.

It might be because there is an error or delay in the message that a child’s brain sends to the muscles of her mouth when she needs to speak. This error or delay makes it hard for the child to coordinate her mouth muscles when she is talking, which results in stuttering.

Stuttering runs in families. This suggests that stuttering might involve genes that are passed on to children from one or both parents. It means a child is more likely to stutter if other people in his family stutter or have stuttered. But it does not mean that a child who has a family history of stuttering will definitely stutter.

Stuttering is not caused by anxiety or stress. But stuttering can cause stress, particularly for teenagers.

A child cannot catch stuttering from somebody else. And a child who stutters cannot control it.

When stuttering in children starts

Stuttering in children often starts during the preschool years, often at 2-4 years. This is when children are starting to combine words and make longer sentences.

Some children do not start stuttering until later in childhood.

Stuttering can start suddenly – for example, a child might wake up one day with a stutter. It can also build up over time.

Stuttering: how much and how often children do it

How much and how often children stutter varies a lot. Some children stutter only occasionally throughout the day. Other children stutter on almost every word they say.

Stuttering can also change a lot from day to day, week to week, or month to month. Sometimes a child stops stuttering completely for days, weeks or months, and then starts stuttering again.

Parents say that particular situations can make their children’s stuttering better or worse. For example, if a child is excited, tired or angry, she might stutter more.

Effects of stuttering

If your child stutters, he might feel frustrated or embarrassed because of the way other children react to the way he speaks. Your child might even avoid talking, or change what he wants to say.

But stuttering does not actually affect preschoolers’ development. Preschoolers who stutter can have the same social skills as non-stuttering children. They are not more likely to be shy or withdrawn compared with children their age who do not stutter.

But if stuttering continues into primary school, it can become a problem. Primary school children who stutter are less likely to be thought of as leaders by their peers. Primary school children and teenagers who stutter might not want to join in with classroom discussions and are also more likely to be bullied compared with children who do not stutter.

What you can do if your child stutters

If you notice that your child has a stutter, it is important to seek professional help.

Start by contacting a speech pathologist. The speech pathologist will assess your child’s stuttering and work out whether to treat your child’s stutter straight away, or whether to wait and check your child regularly.

Some children will grow out of stuttering on their own, but there is currently no way to know which children will do this. It is always best to consult a speech pathologist rather than to assume your child’s stuttering will go away by itself.