thanks!

thanks!

Message edited 11/16/2012 8:56:21 PM.

DD is suddenly stammering a lot advice please.

My DD also 2.5 yrs old does the same thing! I just noticed it recently. I think it's because she talks too fast.

Re: DD is suddenly stammering a lot advice please.

Re: DD is suddenly stammering a lot advice please.

My DD is the same age and does he same thing.
She speaks SO well and so clear that it's almost like she has so much to say and can't get it out fast enough.
We brought it up to the ped and said its completely normal and she will grow out of it. It def been a lot better. Almost like she knows she has to slow down and think about what she's going to say

Re: DD is suddenly stammering a lot advice please.

Totally normal. Ds is the same age and has started this too. I was concerned but Dh is a child psychologist and said its very common

Re: DD is suddenly stammering a lot advice please.

Ignore it.

It is developmentally appropriate for children to have some dysfluency as their systems are not fully mature and there is such high demand on them. Do not make a big deal about it. Keep eye contact and wait patiently for her to get out what she wants to say.

If it persists and is accompanied by secondary behaviors (i.e. foot stamping, tongue clicking, etc) or she starts to avoid speaking then contact the ped. Right now, I would try the above first.

Re: DD is suddenly stammering a lot advice please.

My DD is 2 1/2 and just started doing this about a week ago!! I freaked and asked a bunch of speech therapists about it. (My sister is a ST and I am an OT who works with a bunch of ST). They all said that it (dysfluency) is developmentally appropriate at this age. If it doesn't go away, then obviously it would be a problem and should be addressed after it is no longer developmental appropriate. Try not to make her anxious about it because that could make it worse.

Re: DD is suddenly stammering a lot advice please.

DD did the same thing for a while at 2.5 also! We actually were concerned and called the pediatrician. He said that its normal and to watch it for awhile. She is now 3 and its completely gone. It got worse before it got better though.

Re: DD is suddenly stammering a lot advice please.

My DS did this at 2.5 and is now 1 week into another episode. He will turn 3 next month. I was so so upset, since it occurred at the same time my family went through an emotional time. I thought that it was connected to that. I met with a speech therapist and she assured me that his stuttering was called "developmental stutter" and that it was very normal. Their brains work much faster than their mouths at certain points in their development. A hallmark of developmental stuttering is that they struggle to get the first word out, often a pronoun. Another sign of it being normal is that it happens more when they are tired or excited. The first time, my DS was on the brink of a conceptual explosion...not necessarily more words, because he had plenty of those to fill 3 houses. But he was on the verge of putting new ideas together and he took a major leap in his critical thinking after the stuttering episode was over. I am assuming that is the case with this new phase, though this time is much worse.
Here's what the SLP said:
If you DD doesn't notice it and is not upset or frustrated by it then do NOT call attention to it. Do NOT say, "take your time" or "I'm listening". Make absolutely no reference to it in your verbal and non-verbal communications. Get family members on board with this too. A grandpa or an uncle who says, "Get it out" can turn developmental stuttering into more of a problem. Also, do NOT finish her words, or thoughts. She will get them out. Just be patient and ignore the repeat.
If you DD does become frustrated, you can get down to her level and say something soft and validating like, "that word can be sticky sometimes, right?". And leave it at that. She did say that I should try to not even say this unless my son's frustration was very evident. I did feel the need to say that to him one time and he agreed with me and moved on.
Anyway, I think his first stuttering lasted about a month. Just take it as a sign that your little one is super smart and cognitively growing at a rapid pace.