EYFS Parent and Carer blog: Stammering

 STAMMERING   

There is no known reason for stammering; however, it can run in families and is more common in boys than girls.

"5% of children stammer at some point when learning to talk."

WHAT DOES STAMMERING SOUND LIKE?

-          Not being able to get started for several seconds (“…… my train goes really fast”)

-          Tense or jerky speech

-          Putting extra effort into saying words

-          Repeating part of a word (“ca ca can I”)

-          Repeating the whole word (“the the the…”)

-          Stretching out sounds (“Can I hhhhave a cake?”)

-          A sound becomes stuck and nothing comes out (“……please”)

-          Avoiding certain words

Some children may have additional movements such as blinking, stamping or tensing to help them get their words out. 

FACTS:

-          5% of children stammer at some point when learning to talk.

-          At any age, stammering can come and go.

-          Fluency may change depending on the situation a child is in, how they are feeling, who they are talking to, and what it is that they are trying to say.

-          Approximately 1% of children continue to stammer into adulthood.

-          Parents are not to blame for stammering, but they can help their child become more fluent.

STAMMERING IS NORMAL

Stammering is common in children between the ages of 2-5 years. This is when children are rapidly developing their language skills, such as learning new words and using longer sentences.

Stammering may be ‘episodic’ – it might appear to come and go.

HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD:

Attention:  

Show your child you are listening by stopping what you’re doing and turning to looking at them.

Play:

-         - Set aside a few minutes each day to give your child your full attention.

-         -Keep the situation calm and relaxed.

-       -   Play with what they want to play with and talk about what they want to talk about.

Language:

-          Use simple language with your child, “oh, we’re playing bricks” rather than “oh that’s right, you and I are going to sit and play with your bricks now aren’t we”.

-          Pay attention to what your child is saying, not how they say it

Speech:

-          Slow the pace of your own speech down when talking with your child.

-          Avoid telling your child to calm down, slow down, think or start again.