Stuttering

[Red]

I have recently noticed that my 2 1/2 year old has begun to stutter. It seems to take her a while to collect her thoughts and "spit it out". The pattern that I have noticed is that she'll repeat single syllable sounds, such as a "d", "m", or "g", or a short word - "my", "I". Now that I am acutely aware of it, she seems to be doing it quite often.

My first thought is that this is related to an intellectual "growth spurt", but could it be the beginning of a speech impediment? Maybe her mouth just can't keep up with her brain?!?!?!?

So, for those of you who have experienced this or something similar - is this a common problem that will go away on its own? Can stuttering begin this suddenly? Should I be worried?

Thanks in advance!

[lovemykatelyn]

My DD did that for a while too. She still does it once in a while, but mostly grew out of it. I noticed that she would say the same word over and over again. It was almost like the she would repeat herself until she thought about what she was trying to say. I think it's normal.

[Mum 2 Alyssa]

DD doesn't repeat certain letters but does what PP mentioned and seems to be trying to figure out the words she wants and keeps saying 'um um um um um um' until she sorts it out in her head. I wouldn't worry at this point, as she's still just grasping her language.

[Ingalls]

DS went through this. I panicked, naturally, but everyone we saw reassured me it would go away. Here is what we found helped:
Just maintain eye contact and wait patiently. Don't rush. If she acknowledges or expresses she's frustrated, reassure her that you still want to hear what she says, and it's ok to take her time, etc.

If he was really tired, had too much sugar, or was stressed (moves, etc) it would become worse or reoccur.

I'm tired so that's all that comes to mind at the moment, hth.
And btw he's four and a half now and clear as a bell speechwise.
Oh and yes, it is also sometimes just like you said - brain is not in sync with mouth, since the one is moving wayyy faster than another. Forgot -- he does stutter sometimes, if really super excited.

[Spots]

My oldest has gone through several boughts of stuttering starting at the same age. After his second I over reacted and had his speach assessed through the Tyke Talk program. They assured me it was developmental phase he would grow out of. He's 3 now and occassionaly has a few days of stuttering but usually is stutter free.

PP's have given great advice. Be patient, don't draw attention to it, realize it happens more when tired, etc. I was also told during difficult days to avoid extra questions as questions are particularily taxing on the language system.

[Liisa]

ITA with allie...my 3 y/o stutters sometimes. He just tries to talk sooooo fast! lol

[e & c's mommy]

my ds went through it from about age 2 to 2 1/2...he just took a while to get his words out...we just patiently let him finish his sentence. Now, there is no stutter...he talks in full/complete sentences. I think they just have so much going on in their heads and so much to say that it's hard to get it all out! He is a talker now, doesn't stop.

[Red]

Thanks so much for your replies and reassurances! The only thing that I find odd about the entire situation is that she had absolutely no trouble with speech before this began. She's been speaking in sentences for quite some time now, with never a hint of a stutter. I'm not concerned at the moment, but how long should I wait to see if it's just a phase before mentioning it to our doctor?

[Spots]

My guy was the same, normal speach then suddenly severe stuttering. It left as quickly as it came. His first episode lasted 4 weeks. I'd wait at least twice that before mentioning it to her Dr.

[amyunicorn]

My daughter went through this; no problems before, and no problems after. Don't rush them, don't get frustrated. I found reminding my daughter to take a deep breath and start over sometimes helped; it was like her brain was going 90mph and her mouth couldn't keep up, my son gets to the point that he forgets what he's saying and I tell him that's okay and if he remembers to come back to me. Avoid tickling games too much (over stimulation).