My 3 Year Old Son and His Speech. He Has a Problem with Studdering. Any Help?

My son had a similar problem at around 2-3. The pediatrician, Dr. Macias, said it would likely resolve itself and it did. Good luck.

Hi A.,
I am a speech pathologist and I work primarily with birth thru preschool aged kiddos. It is VERY common for a preschool age child to have normal disfluencies (stuttering). If we can try to grasp how much is going on in their little brains....they are acquiring SOO many new skills at this age. The average 2(ish) year old uses only 50-100 words....then at three, they are up to almost 500! That is a lot to organize and they will stumble on their new words (and sentences at his age). If it continues past preschool age, or he begins to become "aware" of his difficulty (gets frustrated when trying to get past the disfluencies) then I would suggest contacting a speech pathologist for a consult/evaluation. At this age, even if they saw a problem, the focus of therapy would be the child's surroundings (the parents, teachers, and any caregivers). You would be asked to "calm" his environment as to make it a very "safe" place to talk...giving him your full attention when he spoke, not talking over him, giving him as much time as he needed to get out his thoughts and NEVER correcting him. Just listen and take turns talking. Just taking these steps now might lesson the disfluencies. At this age, they are so excited to get all of their thoughts out and we are so busy with life, that we cannot always give them the focus that they are looking for. Try slowing down and giving him your undivided attention for at least 10-20 min a day. But know that it is not happening because of you, but that you may be able to lesson it with just a few changes.

Has he always had this issue or did it just start one day? My son had no problems with his speech until one day out of the blue he just started stuttering. It was worse on some days, better on others. He was 3 and 1/2 at the time. It lasted about 4 months. His preschool teacher at the time said to completely ignore it and it will go away. It was hard to do, but like I said 4 months later it was like it never happened. This is very common in boys. If you want to talk more about it let me know. I can describe it in more detail to you if you wish.

My son is 4 and 1/2 and started speech therapy at 4 years for a studder. Studdering is potentially hereditary on the male side of the family. His uncle has a studder. Just after 6 months of therapy he is very fluent. His studder would come and go, but at 3 and 1/2 we really felt strongly that it wasn't "going away". Speech therapy can be amazing and it's always great to be proactive!

I am not a professional, but I think this is totally normal for a three year old. My son is four and he still does this at times. I notice that it is when he seems to really want to get an idea out (excited or stressed) that he is repetative. I also taught kindergarten for five years, and I had numerous students that would stutter. Techniques that I learned from the school's speech therapist were to tell the child to slow down and think about what they wanted to say, when they started to stutter. Don't finish their sentence for them, but help them slow down and get their thoughts out. I hope this helps.

My nephew has a major studdering problem and we took him to a speech therapist. Sometimes studdering can be as simple as your son being overly excited, or frustrated that they just cant get the words out. Sometimes it's a bit more than that. Ask your doctor for their advice and see what they say. Studdering comes and goes and sometimes it's just a stage, while at times it doenst go away. My grandfather has a studder till this day at 78, but my nephew after help from his speech therapist is actually so much better and rarewly does it. When he does start to studder he stops talking takes a fw deep breaths and thinks his words through before he speaks and it normally stops. Good luck with it, I'd just ask your doctor and see what they suggest.

Hi A.,

I have a degree in Child Development & I agree with Laura & Denise. It is totally normal at this age & may be caused by excitement or stress. The more attention you draw to it, the worse it's likely to get. If you stay calm & patient & let him get his ideas out, it will probably lessen & eventually stop. If it gets much worse, you might want to speak with a child psychologist, as I suspect it could be the stress of the recent changes in his family that could be the issue. If it does not get worse, but does not get better in a year or so, that would be a good time to look into speech therapy. Just give him as much love and patience that you can, to help see him through it.

C. : )

My daughter had speech problems when she was your sons age. She is now 5. I spoke to the doctors about it and they don't me at her age (3) not to worry so much. They were right. as she learned her alphabets better and learned how to read she got better. Especially after I realized part of her problem is she tries to say everything fast. I keep telling her to slow and think about it first. She eventually got things right. (most of the time). But, I also suggest, because only should know your child best, that you keep listening for speech impediments, and if it doesn't get better, communicate your concerns with his doctor.

Dear A.;

I read your email, luckily I experienced that when my two teenagers went to kindergarten school. The teacher talk to me and suggested to be tested in speech language program and see what happen. I agreed for them to be tested at younger age so that we can help and corrected the speech problem. They found out that they're both having trouble saying the words "R","F","P" and etc., They're put to Speech Training Program for students who are having difficulty pronouncing some words or letters. Please talk to your Pediatrician doctor and ask him/her to have a speech language testing. Then when you found out that he has a difficulty in speech, ask your doctor to write a letter to school to be put the child into a special speech-language program. They will be pull out for 30 minutes a day to practice the speech or words that they have difficulty then train them. My two children went through and now they're fine. Good luck.

A.

It is absolutely normal. He is three. I have four sons, now 26, 22, 21 and 8. They ALL did that, and they are all articulate people with normal speech. Also, I used to do in-home daycare. I have lots of experience with young children. It is normal, normal, normal. I know people who have legitimate stuttering problems and it did not start as you describe. Your son is three years old. Please don't create a problem where there isn't one. Do not draw attention to it, drag him to specialists, etc. He will sense that you think something is wrong when he sticks on a word, and you could very well create the problem you fear.

that is completely normal. it is called disfluency. i have gone through it now with 3 of my 4 kids. their brain is working faster than their mouths. It will stop on its own. my sister is a speech pathologist and she says the worst thing you can do is correct them or scold them or finish their word for them. Make eye contact with them when it happens and wait patiently for them to finish the word. Get down on their level so they see that you are really listening too. it is frustrating sometimes waiting for them to get that little word out but be patient. it will go away really quickly. if it gets worse see a speech therapist and your doctor.

Hi A.... my son also has speech problems. 'IF' you change your mind & decide to pursue it...Ask your Doctor to give you information on taking him to 'The Regional Center'. They evaluate children 3 and under. After the age of 3, the school district in your area will help with speech issues. They enrolled my son into an elementary school at the age of 3 1/2 for speech so by the time he was ready to enter kindergarten he would be caught up & not starting off behind.

Good Luck!

Hi A.,
I am sorry to say, I am not going to be much help. I am the mother of a 3 year old who is having the same problem. I am also concerned and have been told the same, "it is normal". I am also searching for some help and if I find out anything, I will certainly pass it on to you. FYI, I am also recently single, and have been concerned it has something to do with that? (I don't know)
I wish I could be of more help...
E.

I highly recommend that you discuss the issue with your pediatrician. If you don't feel that your concerns are being addressed by the pediatrician maybe you should contact Rady Children's Hospital. It may just be a phase that your son is going through (his brain is working faster than his mouth). If you are really concerned, get it checked out. After all, parenting can be stressful enough without adding worry to the mix. Good luck.

if the doctor determines it is a speech dificulty he should be seen weekly for speech therapy. The school district he should attend when he begins kindergarten is the best place to start. They are usually close to home and the speech therapy is FREE.

I have heard that stuttering can be a substitute for crying. Maybe just being aware of that possibility can help you find ways to help him express his emotions. The book, "The Aware Baby" by Solter was a big help to me.