Stammering is a disruption to the smooth flow of speech. Some children who stammer have described it as “being stuck”. They said their stammering was “tough”, “hard”, “annoying” and “frustrating”. One child described his stammering as “just like having a padlock over your mouth”. This blog explores what child stammering is, what causes it and the question of whether it can be stopped. Wondering how you can help your child to stammer less? Read on for some suggestions.
When does it start?
Stammering usually starts when children are aged two to five years old. It affects 5-10 percent of children. 1 percent of adults stammer too. This means, of course, that around 80 percent of children who start to stammer will grow out of it completely.
What is stammering?
Stammering is not the same for every child. Child stammering always disrupts the smooth flow of speech, but it varies greatly in type and severity. Some family history and speech and language factors make children more likely to stammer. It is also a fact that many more boys stammer than girls. There are some other factors that make stammering more likely too. Unfortunately, it is still not fully understood why some children stammer and others don’t.
How does it start?
The way in which child stammering starts is different from one person to another as well. Some children start stammering gradually, whereas for others it starts suddenly. For some children, their stammer is mild and the child doesn’t seem to be aware or concerned. For other children, the onset can be severe. Severe onset can, of course, be alarming for parents. But the good news is that for most children, the stammering disappears as mysteriously as it started. And for the children who don’t recover completely, there is help available for every age group.
What about stammering longer term?
Even when someone carries on stammering into adulthood, stammering doesn’t need to hold them back. There have been lots of highly successful stammerers throughout history, including the author Lewis Carroll, singers Ed Sheeran and Elvis Presley and big name actors such as Nicole Kidman and Samuel L. Jackson.
What can parents do to help?
It’s a good idea to make sure that your child is getting plenty of sleep. Sometimes parents find it helpful to slow the pace of life a little, by cutting back the number of things booked into the family calendar. It’s always a good idea to give your child time to speak. It’s best not to rush them. And children who stammer prefer that others don’t finish their sentences off for them.
What about getting professional help?
If your child is not upset by or aware of their stammer, it is best to ‘watch and wait’ for the first 3 months. This is because the stammer might spontaneously disappear again, all on its own. During this 3 month period, it is recommended that parents seek help if:
- stammering is getting worse
- the child is upset about their stammer
- parents themselves are anxious about the stammer
Once a child has been stammering for 3 months, it is best to seek professional help from a speech and language therapist. Once the first 3 months has passed, it is advisable to get therapy quickly. This ‘early intervention’ gives children the best chance of getting rid of their stammer altogether.
Want to find out more?
Please call Kirsty on 0117 963 7129, or you can email me at kirsty@happytalkbristol.co.uk