A couple of weeks ago Maya started stuttering a bit.  She was getting caught up at the beginning of some of her sentences, saying things like “I,I,I,I,I,I,I want a drink” or “look,look,look,look, there’s a doggie”.  The stuttering seemed to be most pronounced and most common during times when she was really excited, really tired, or really frustrated about something.  I figured it was probably normal but I wasn’t entirely sure so I did a little research online, in a few parenting books and by calling my daughter’s pediatrician.  Turns out it is likely just a perfectly normal case of toddler stuttering, or transient dysfluency.

Almost all children between the ages of 2 and 4, about 85%, will suffer through a phase of stuttering.  It occurs when their language skills have out paced their verbal dexterity.  Basically their little brains are thinking up the words they want to say faster than their mouth muscles are able to form and actually speak the words.  Often stuttering in toddlers and preschoolers takes the shape of getting stuck on the first word of a sentence or even the first syllable of a longer word, like “I-I-I-I-I-I want to play outside” or “base-base-base-baseball is fun”.  This differs a bit from traditional stuttering which is often displayed with getting stuck on the first sound (or letter) of a word, like “h-h-h-h-h-h-he is over there”.

Once I discovered that Maya was just going through a very common phase of toddlerhood I wanted to know what, if anything, I needed to do to help her through this phase.  In talking with the nurse at her pediatrician’s office and through reading a few sites online I discovered a few things I can do, or should avoid doing, while she goes through this phase:

• Remain patient and listen to your child and maintain eye contact.
• Don’t finish their thought, let them get it out even if they have to stumble over a word 20 or more times.
• When your child has finished their thought repeat it back to them so they can hear it without the stutter and so they know you have understood what they are saying.

Most children will outgrow this type of stuttering around the age of 4, however, if the stutter appears to be getting worse, your child gets upset about their stutter, or you notice any other changes with the stutter be sure to discuss it with your child’s doctor as speech therapy may be needed.