Kids.Physical Development: Is My Kid Developing a Stuttering Problem?

Does your child stumble over words when speaking?

From the moment your child learns to speak till 5 years old, your child’s brain is in the process of rapid development. It is natural that your child tends to stumble over words, facing some difficulties in speaking fluently.

This stumbling over words is different from a true stuttering problem, which affects a small percentage of children (5%). Stuttering happens when the child’s brainpower outstrips verbal dexterity. How can you differentiate this difficulty from stuttering then?

Here are few examples of stuttering problem:

Dragging out the first sound in a word	“ssssorry”
Repeating a sound	“Sh-sh-she nice!”
When your child opens the mouth to speak, he/she may get stuck before any sound comes out. He / She may experience tension in the jaw or cheeks, look away or clench fist from the tension, blink repeatedly, grimace, or stomp her foot from the frustration.

According to Patricia McAleer-Hamaguchi, a paediatric speech-language pathologist, a mild stuttering problem at age 3-4 may not seem to be a huge concern as most kids will outgrow it without any intervention by age 5 or 6. 

However, if the kid is really struggling or the condition has not improved in 3-6 months, you may want to consider talking to the doctor or paediatrician for an evaluation.