Will My Child Grow Out of Stuttering?

Your two-year-old seemingly overnight went from piecing together short sentences to talking a mile a minute. Recently, you noticed stuttering. When you first observed it, it only happened when they were overly excited and rushing to get all the words out. 

However, it seems to happen more frequently. Now what? What should you do? First, don’t panic, says Caryn McAllister, PT, DPT, and the highly skilled team of speech and language pathologists at High Quality Home Therapy. Some stuttering is common, especially in toddlers and young children. 

Over three million Americans stutter. Remarkably, 5% of all American children endure a period of stuttering, lasting six months. In this blog, we share insights on stuttering and assessing your child.

Stuttering explained

Stuttering, referred to sometimes as stammering, is a speech impediment that disrupts the flow of speech. Stutters result in words or syllables that are repeated or prolonged. Patients who stutter often know what they want to say, but the stuttering prevents them from conveying words.

Our team does not link stuttering to mental or emotional issues, but contributing factors make some children more prone to developing stuttering problems, including:

• Family history: About 60% of those who stutter have a family member who also stutters 
• Development delays: Children with developmental delays or other language issues are more likely to stutter
• Living in fast-paced environments: High expectations and fast-paced lifestyles may contribute to stuttering
• Neurophysiology anomalies: Research suggests a connection between brain development in the speech and motor control areas

Get started with a speech evaluation

Although stuttering may go away on its own, for many children, the issue persists. You know your child best. Look for signs of your child shying away from social situations at home or school. If you notice that stuttering continues for more than six months, especially after age three or four, contact your pediatrician or healthcare provider for a speech evaluation.

At High Quality Home Therapy, our licensed speech therapists perform comprehensive speech evaluations to gather data to map out your child’s speech therapy treatment plan.

An evaluation includes a physical examination of your child’s mouth and face, and reviews the medical history of the patient and family. We perform diagnostic testing if needed.

Speech therapy can help

While there’s technically no cure for stuttering, speech therapy is a treatment strategy to address stuttering symptoms until they go away. It works by using the data collected from the evaluation to create a program of exercises or activities.

The goal of the speech therapy program is to help your child speak more confidently and to reduce the frequency and severity of the stutter. The number and frequency of the sessions differ from patient to patient depending on the severity of the stuttering issue. Some patients participate in speech therapy for several weeks, while more severe cases may require therapy for several months or years to gain optimal outcomes.

At High Quality Home Therapy, our commitment doesn’t stop when the treatment plan concludes. Our caring and compassionate speech therapists connect with family members or caregivers after a treatment plan has ended to check in on progress and continued success.

If your child is stuttering or you have concerns about language problems, schedule an appointment at High Quality Home Therapy in Stamford, Connecticut. Use our online booking feature or call us today to book a speech evaluation.