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At what age should stuttering be treated?
Most kids who begin stuttering before the age of 5 stop without any need for help such as speech or language therapy. But if your child’s stuttering happens a lot, gets worse, or happens along with body or facial movements, seeing a speech-language therapist around age 3 is a good idea.
How long can developmental stuttering last?
If the symptoms last for 3 to 6 months, he or she may have developmental stuttering. Symptoms of stuttering may vary throughout the day and in different situations. Your child’s symptoms may include: Repeating sounds, syllables, or words, for example, repeating a sound as in W-W-W-What.
How can I help my child stop stuttering?
Here are tips to help your child manage stuttering:
- Try to provide a relaxed environment.
- Set time aside to talk with your child.
- Encourage your child to talk to you about fun and easy topics.
- Try not to react in a negative way.
- Don’t interrupt your child while he or she is speaking.
- Speak slowly to your child.
What helps with stuttering problems?
Coping and support
- Listen attentively to your child.
- Wait for your child to say the word he or she is trying to say.
- Set aside time when you can talk to your child without distractions.
- Speak slowly, in an unhurried way.
- Take turns talking.
- Strive for calm.
- Don’t focus on your child’s stuttering.
How do you fix a stuttering speech?
Tips to help reduce a stutter
- Slow down. One of the more effective ways to stop a stutter is to try to speak more slowly.
- Practice. Reach out to a close friend or family member to see if they can sit with you and talk.
- Practice mindfulness.
- Record yourself.
- Look into new treatments.
Will my child outgrow stuttering without speech therapy?
Adding to the confusion, research suggests that as many as 70\% of all children who start stuttering will outgrow it on their own with no speech therapy. But, research also indicates that if a child has been stuttering longer than one year, the likelihood that he or she will outgrow it without any speech therapy is reduced.
What is the most common age for stuttering?
Developmental stuttering. This is the most common type of stuttering in children. It usually happens when a child is between ages 2 and 5. It may happen when a child’s speech and language development lags behind what he or she needs or wants to say.
Is there a cure for stuttering?
The exact cause of stuttering is unknown. A speech-language pathologist diagnoses stuttering by evaluating your child’s speech and language abilities. There is no cure for stuttering. But early treatment may keep stuttering from continuing into adulthood.
What does a speech-language pathologist do for a child with stuttering?
The speech-language pathologist will consider a variety of factors, including the child’s case history (such as when the stuttering was first noticed and under what circumstances), an analysis of the child’s stuttering behaviors, and an evaluation of the child’s speech and language abilities and the impact of stuttering on his or her life.