Stuttering

Stuttering occurs when a person repeats certain sounds involuntarily especially the initial sounds in words. Stuttered sounds may occur in rapid succession, as a block or as a prolongation. Usually, the symptoms of developmental stuttering first appear between the ages of 2½ and 4 years. Stuttering is more common among males than females. About 75% of pre-schoolers who begin to stutter will eventually stop. Many children who “recover” from stuttering do so within months of the time their stuttering started.

Warning signs to look out for:

• a family history of stuttering
• stuttering that has continued for 6 months or longer
• presence of other speech or language disorders
• strong fears or concerns about stuttering on the part of the child or the family
• rapid repetitions becoming blocks (when the mouth is positioned to say a sound, sometimes for several seconds, with little or no sound coming out).