My Child Is Stuttering… What do I do?
First, stop Googling! Stuttering may as well be a political hot topic, because the amount of misinformation on the internet is astounding! Don’t by supplements! Don’t go to a chiropractor! Take a moment before seeking “cures.” At the bottom of this blog post, you’ll find some reliable websites and resources that I would recommend relying on for your stuttering research. Here’s a good starting place in case you don’t make it to the end.
When preschoolers begin stuttering, there is a 6 month (some recommend 12 month) period of time where we play a bit of a “waiting game.” Around 75-80% of young children who stutter will stop stuttering spontaneously, meaning without any speech therapy. Once stuttering has persisted beyond a year, it becomes significantly less likely that stuttering will go away on its own. I don’t typically recommend waiting an entire year before seeking assistance; whenever you feel anxious or concerned about it, I recommend at least consulting with a speech therapist who is skilled in stuttering therapy to make sure that your understanding of stuttering is accurate and healthy — your child will will often model their reaction to stuttering off of yours.
There are a few situations where I recommend seeking therapy more quickly than 6 months:
You have a strong family history of persistent stuttering
Your child is showing negative reactions to their stutter
If those two things do not apply to you, then what do we do in this waiting period? Focus on positive communication experiences for your child!
Model (for your child and for others in your environment) a calm and accepting reaction to moments of stuttering.
Listen to what your child is saying, rather than how they are saying it. Respond to the content of their thoughts, ideas and concerns.
Talk about stuttering openly and in a factual way, while supporting and validating their feelings. (Yes, you can talk about stuttering. No, saying “stuttering” will not make them stutter more). I highly recommend consulting with a speech therapist prior to having these conversations.
Perhaps more importantly, what do we not do during this waiting period:
Talk about stuttering as something ‘bad’ that we hope will go away soon
Remark on increases in stuttering as “worse” or decreases in stuttering as “better” speech
Ask children to repeat themselves after they’ve said something
Ask children to try again with ‘smooth speech’
Tell children to take a deep breath and try again
Speak for children / finish their sentences when they begin stuttering
Allow siblings to mock stuttering
During the waiting period, the most important thing is to instill in your child positive communication attitudes and strong self-concept. Allow your child to feel confident! We want to avoid the development of negative feelings about and reactions to stuttering.
When we start speech therapy with young children, we focus on overall communicative competence. While this includes fluency, it also includes other communication skills that help to build a child’s confidence in themselves a speaker. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions regarding stuttering.
Keep a look out for more information on stuttering in the school-aged years. This is an area of practice that is very close to my heart. I don’t have favorites… but working with school-aged kids who stutter is pretty close!
Some resources: