Stammering

hayley_l · Sep 12, 2008 12:38AM

My 3 year old had started to stammer, she started a while ago and I phoned hv who referred her to a speach therapist, all she said was that is was a normal phase of development and she would grow out of it and as long as she wasnt aware or upset by it then it wasnt a problem.
She did stop for a while but now it is back and it is much worse, some days I cant understand a word she says and to make matters worse she now knows she is doing it, she tried to ask me a question this morning and she couldnt get the words out, then she just started crying and said "mummy my voice doesnt work any more" I feel so sad for her she was so upset, untill the stammer started she had always been a really fluent speaker and she spoke very clearly.
Has anyone else had a child who stammers and they have grown out of it or is she going to have it for ever?

campbellly · Jul 17, 2008 5:06PM

Hi there Hayley. Sorry to hear your LO is having a bit of difficulty. I work as a paediatric speech and language therapist and have seen quite a few children who are dysfluent. The therapist is quite right to say that many children experience 'normal dysfluency' in their development but it's also true to say a small number of these kids will go on to have further difficulties. A therapist can tell the difference by listening to the TYPES of stammering your child is doing and by other factors such as the frequency and whether or not your child is starting to avoid types of communication. I would recommend you contact the speech and language therapist directly. We have an open referral process which means anyone can refer a child - you don't have to go through a HV or GP. The therapist's first port of call might be to let you know the techniques that encourage fluency or there may be a parent group. It may be that your child passes throught this stage again. It is very common for stammering to 'come and go' but at any rate, contacting the therapist will help put your mind at ease. I'll try check here again soon in case you have any questions. XX

hayley_l · Jul 18, 2008 3:11AM

thanks for your reply, the speach therapist did warn me that it could come and go which it has done, its just that it is so much worse this time and the fact that she now knows shes doing it and it is stopping her from talking so much has worried me a little.

I cant help wondering if it is happening becuase of all the stress we have been under at thome over the last 10 months, both hv and speach therapist sais it wasnt but it seems too much of a coincidence. Hubby was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour in november and she started stammering then, he was then reviewed in Jan and told tumour had got worse and there was nothing they could do, they did another biopsy and they were wrong it hadnt progressed and all was good news, this was when the stammer was worst, then after he got the good news things calmed down and it seemed to disappear, he had to go back for a review in june and obviously the time leading up to it was very tense and the stammer reappeared, he has had the all clear till next september and things are not so tense so I am hoping it will disappear again. Do you think it may be because she is picking up on the tension or could it just be a coincidence? Thanks xx

campbellly · Jul 21, 2008 2:58PM

What a terrible time you've all had! It's said that children who are prone to stammering can often encounter more difficulties at times of change e.g. new baby, new house, starting school etc. It's not impossible that there might be a connection but of course, it's also entirely possible that things would have been the same regardless. However, I place a lot of weight on a mother's intuition. Mummies know their children best - not professionals!! There's no need to add more worry to your life though by being concerned about whether or not your life circumstances have had an effect. These could not have been changed. The best thing to do is to focus on the here and now and what you can do that is positive. If your little girl is raising the subject by saying that she is finding talking difficult then don't be afraid to speak to her about it in a simple way. By not talking about it, a parent might be sending a message that the stammer is wrong or something to be ashamed about. As therapists, we talk about 'bumpy words' as a child finds this easier to understand. You might say something like "I know it's not too nice to have bumpy words, but it's okay. Everybody has bumpy words now and again." (This is true. We all stumble over our words when we're tired or nervous!!) Children rarely stammer over rhymes or songs, so you can help her confidence by doing some of these together when she is struggling. There's loads more advice similar to this, so get in touch with your speech therapist if you want more support. All the best. X

hayley_l · Jul 22, 2008 6:24AM

Thanks campbelly, I have phoned the speech therapist and I am waiting for them to call me back. it is right that she doesnt stammer when shes singing or doing nursery rhymes so I think we will make a point of having lots of fun singing time and hopefully she will groe out of it. x

Audrey91 · Sep 12, 2008 12:38AM

hi hayleyI
not meaning to make you worry but my oh stammers hes 21 next month he started stammering when he was little aswell just like ur lo but when he was about 6-7 he started doing it all the time and hasnt stopped since
probably not any help

Stammering

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