PARENT QUESTION: I have a question, my 29 month old son recently started stuttering. It is pretty cute and makes me want to laugh but I know I should ignore it if it’s just a phase that will pass. Which is what I read about this age group. But then sometimes I get pretty worried, should I be? I am thinking of talking to his pediatrician and getting Speech Therapy, what do you think? I would also like to know if there are other moms other going thru the same.
ANSWER: What you’re calling stuttering isn't really unusual at his age. Seems that their brain is going faster than their speech and it makes them stumble over the words and get stuck. Most kids this age don't have a true stutter — instead, they either hesitate when talking or repeat whole words or the first syllable of a word. He may be extremely excited to tell you what's on his mind, or he may be tired, angry, or upset, so it makes it difficult to get his get his words out easily. All of this can make it a little difficult to pull up the right words in the right order. . With true stuttering you will often notice odd facial grimacing, twitching, and some extreme eye blinking.
I wouldn't laugh at him at all because kids realize that their behavior is being laughed at and sometimes it will make them do things intentionally for the attention it's getting. That could happen with the speech too because when you're laughing he thinks it's something you want him to do. I'd give it a few months of you not giving it any special attention and just be patient and let him get his words out. Kids can have some periods of this type of speech off and on until they’re around five.
Hoping to hear from other moms or speech therapists on this too!
ANSWER: What you’re calling stuttering isn't really unusual at his age. Seems that their brain is going faster than their speech and it makes them stumble over the words and get stuck. Most kids this age don't have a true stutter — instead, they either hesitate when talking or repeat whole words or the first syllable of a word. He may be extremely excited to tell you what's on his mind, or he may be tired, angry, or upset, so it makes it difficult to get his get his words out easily. All of this can make it a little difficult to pull up the right words in the right order. . With true stuttering you will often notice odd facial grimacing, twitching, and some extreme eye blinking.
I wouldn't laugh at him at all because kids realize that their behavior is being laughed at and sometimes it will make them do things intentionally for the attention it's getting. That could happen with the speech too because when you're laughing he thinks it's something you want him to do. I'd give it a few months of you not giving it any special attention and just be patient and let him get his words out. Kids can have some periods of this type of speech off and on until they’re around five.
Hoping to hear from other moms or speech therapists on this too!