HELP if you know anything about STUTTERING

[tootsy]

i made a thread about a week ago, how my 3yr old out of the blue started stuttering on sentances begining with 'W' (what, why, when)

some of you advised i call someone and get on top of it, in the mist i spoke to family, alot noticed, agreed with me but also said it could pass, dont get worked up its just a phase......... its gotten so much worse. it starting to really scare me.

my son couldnt get a sentance out when i told him to tell daddy what he did today he went on to tell him and he said ''i i i i i wv-wv-wv-wv-wb-went t-to............i i cant say it:(''

my heart just sunk. i said its ok and try again, and he tryed and again he couldnt get it out he then went quiet and got his pillow and went sat on the couch for 10mins he knows hes doing it and its frustrating him.

who do i call? where do i take him? hes getting worse by the day how can this get so bad so quickly?? anyone have a stuttering child? how do you deal with it in the mean time? when i point it out it seems to upset him and if i cut him off and finish the sentance for him he gets frustrated with me. if i let him go and let him just try get his words out, he gets out of breath like, by the time hes got what he wanted to say out, hes forgoten what he was saying.

my son has spoke clear and well since he was very young, people were suprised with his talking and would always comment. what triggered this off?

anyone?:(

[bubbleyblossom]

Do you see a paediatrician or anything? If so, they may be able to recommend someone, or even your GP

Does it happen when he's excited? Or is it all the time? I know that I stutter when Im excited or tired.
im sorry I cant help anymore

[V8]

Im not sure, you could check out this article for more info:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/(Pages)/Stuttering?OpenDocument

And a speech pathologist would need to be the best person to help you. I'm so sorry must be hard seeing your little boy struggle and be upset.

[tootsy]

no thats ok thanks for the reply. i stutter too if im speaking publicly or put on the spot (not alot or anything) but this is worse. he started doing this last saturday it seems like hardly anything thing to worry about coz its been only 1 week but its been everyday, every second thing he says.

its when hes excited, when hes explaining,and just kind of in general...:confused:

iv done some reading about it, basicaly i want to know how to deal with it towards him (for now until i take him to see someone) one site reccomends i dont cut him off, that i let him say what hes trying to say otherwise he may feel worse if i ask him to say it slowly or take a deep breath, almost as if i will put him under pressure to make him say it correctly and this could make the stuttering worse if hes nervous about it:confused:... it kind of makes sence... at dinner tonight i said something to him, about stuttering and he went withdrawn from talking. i didnt like thatat all:no:..

anyone else know what causes stuttering out of nowhere?

[bubbleyblossom]

I honestly wouldnt have a clue what causes it out of nowhere :(
He hasnt started having nightmares or anything lately has he? Or any changes in his life? Thats all I can think of
Im sorry that you have to see yourlittle man going through this.

[tootsy]

Im not sure, you could check out this article for more info:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/(Pages)/Stuttering?OpenDocument

And a speech pathologist would need to be the best person to help you. I'm so sorry must be hard seeing your little boy struggle and be upset.

thanx for that info helped!

[tootsy]

I honestly wouldnt have a clue what causes it out of nowhere :(
He hasnt started having nightmares or anything lately has he? Or any changes in his life? Thats all I can think of
Im sorry that you have to see yourlittle man going through this.

not any nightmares that i know of. i just read that its mainly to do with breathing and speach etc.. i did think at first what have i done to him, like have i made him feel like he cant talk or am i not paying enough attention to him but apparently stuttering isnt caused by any of that, wich is a good thing!

[bubbleyblossom]

Thats a good thing then.

[Egall]

I'm no expert, but I remember a little from some of the studies in my Masters in Education. I know that with speech impediments, the earlier they are idenitified and treated, the easier they are to correct, and so I would definitely recommend going to see a Speech Pathologist ASAP - your GP should be able to refer you to one. Having said that, I doubt that you need to be too worried, it may well just be a little phase that he'll grow out of on his own, but a speech pathologist will definitely be able to give you best advice re how you and others can respond in a helpful way. There are very high success rates with early intervention.

[MrsTwith3]

My nephew around the age of 4yo started to stutter out of the blue. Not long after that his younger brother who was nearly 3yo started doing the same thing. My sister promptly got an appointment for them both with a speech pathologist who taught them ways to overcome the stuttering.
They are now 10yo & 8yo and no longer stutter. It seems it was just a behavioural thing for them. The boys too found it very frustrating and seemed to withdraw into themselves for a while.
:fingerscrossed: it is just a phase and can be sorted quickly.
Are you able to access a speech pathologist through the public system easily?

[subaruforestermum]

Public hospitals usually have speech pathologists, all you need to do is go to your GP for a referal then contact the hospital and make an appointment.

Hope he works through it ok...and doesnt get too sad about it...

[~Bec~]

I have had a mild stutter all my life and I can tell you it gets really frustrating and annoying.

Please don't try and finish his words/sentences - that's just so annoying and makes you feel really bad. The best advice I can give is that if he's struggling to say something stop what you're doing and turn to him so that you appear extra interested and there is no hurry or pressure on him to speak. (Does that make sense??) For example if you are chopping veggies and he talks to you stop chopping veggies, turn to him, get down to his level etc and just appear extra interested in what he's saying. I used to get so frustrated by people telling me to stop, slow down, :ecomcity: . I just physically couldn't get the words out. :( It's hard to describe but your mouth just won't go there.

THere are lots of techniques that a specialist can help you with.

On a side note I remember watching a tv show a few years ago about some children who had really bad stutters. They were undertaking some speech therapy and part of their therapy was to stand up on a chair in a crowded shopping area and just say some thing simple about themselves. I remember one boy had to try so hard and struggle but he got through it and he was so proud of himself it made me bawl my eyes out.

[maorimama]

I was a stutterer as a child and found it very frustrating at times, I remember always being desperate to say something and it was like my mind was working faster than my mouth.

My parents never really made a big deal of it, they would just tell me to slow down and think about what it was that I wanted to say and then say it. Needless to say with their support and patience I grew out of it.

[binnyb]

My daughter developed a terrible stutter around 2 and a half when i was pregnant with my second. It was a really difficult time and i cried and cried and cried. It was heartbreaking because, like your child, she had always been a fantastic talker. I think that was part of the problem, her head went too quickly for her mouth. Everything i read said it was quite normal for children 2-5 to develop a stutter and we should ignore it, don't rush her and it would go away. I found this advice really frustrating and found it really hard to pretend it wasn't there especially when it was so obvious. I went against the advice. When she was having trouble, i would stop everything, make sure she knew i was listening and when she finally got out what she needed to say (or gave up trying) i would say things like "those cheeky words are getting stuck again, aren't they? Come on words out you come." Then, i would reassure her and say, "you can get those words out, come on, say it quickly" and i would say the word she got stuck on (usually the first word of the sentence like what, where, when or mummy) really quickly and nod my head, clap my hands or stamp my foot while i said it. Remarkably, she could usually say the word in that context. I kept doing this (although not every single time she stuttered) and found it got better and better and eventually went away after a couple of months (she is now 5 and shows no signs of a stutter what so ever)My 2 year old boy started to develop a very mild stutter a few months ago and the same thing seemed to work. I have absolutely no training in this area and only went on my intuition with my own children (combined with a lot of reading). I am a kindergarten teacher and know a bit about brain and language development, but i really did just make this technique up on my own in response to my children and it felt right for me.

I absolutely agree that a speech pathologist would help. My GP was reluctant to refer my daughter because she was young and they thought she would grow out of it. I think that's probably why i developed my own way of dealing with it.

Just thought i would share my experience because i know how hard it is to cope with. Good luck and try not to worry too much. Children are tough and resilient little things!!