Help – My Child is Stuttering – What Should I Do?

The onset of stuttering can be very sudden or can develop gradually. Either way, if you are a parent and your young child has started stuttering you probably feel concerned and unsure about what to do. Here are some things you can do to help your child:

Keep calm!

Seeing your child struggle to get words out can be upsetting, especially if he or she had no difficulty before. Your child may say things like “I can’t say it” or start to change what they want to say. You may feel very anxious, but try not to let this pass onto your child. If your child senses your concern it can make them feel more worried, which in turn may make the stuttering worse. However, do talk about it to your child, as most children are aware and can be reassured if an adult acknowledges there is a problem. Say something reassuring like “I see you sometimes get a bit stuck with your talking, that must be frustrating…” Your child may not reply, but you have opened up the opportunity for them to talk about it.

Give your child time to talk

Children acquire language rapidly in the early years and many children need extra time to coordinate all the aspects of talking (finding the words they want to use, putting these words into sentences, using the correct speech sounds, using an appropriate volume, etc) There is a lot of pressure on the speech system, so allowing them more time is important. Show your child you are listening by focussing your attention on what they are saying (not how they are saying it) and keeping eye contact.

Slow down your speech rate

Try not to tell your child to slow down. Interrupting their speech planning process can make the problem worse. Instead, model a slower speech rate yourself. Pause more often and ease into sentences slowly. You will not be able to keep this up all the time, but try to model slower speech when you are on a one to one with your child, such as during playtime or when reading books together.

Take turns in the family

Children who stutter can sometimes find it hard to get their voice heard in a busy household. Encourage turn-taking within the family so everyone has a turn to talk. You may want to start with non-speech activities such as card or board games that involve turn-taking. Once you move onto talking, you could try the “microphone game” – Use a toy microphone which is passed around the group – you can only speak when you are holding the microphone. Another time to encourage turn-taking is at the dinner table. Maybe introduce the idea of each person taking it in turns to say one thing that happened to them during the day.

Do not interrupt your child or finish their sentences

Most people who stutter find it very frustrating when people finish their sentences for them. Instead, show the child you are listening and have time for them to finish. However, if your child is really stuck on one particular word (and you KNOW what they are trying to say), you can offer to say it with them e.g. “I can see you’re finding that word a bit tricky – shall we try and say it together?” Only do this if it seems to help and don’t do it too often.

Seek professional help

Most children do “grow out” of stuttering. However if your child has been stuttering for longer than 6 months, if he or she is very frustrated or upset, or you have a strong family history of stuttering, we advise seeking an assessment by a Speech and Language Pathologist. They will be able to assess your child’s risk of developing a long term stutter and may introduce therapy if necessary. The earlier intervention is started, the better the prognosis.