Stammering or dysfluency is a breakdown in the flow of speech.
If your child stammers or has dysfluency, they may:
- repeat certain sounds or whole words
- stretch out sounds
- get stuck on sounds
- have facial tension, extra body movements or disrupted breathing
- avoid some words or situations
About 1 in 20 children between ages 2 and 7 experience something like stammering.
Many children who start to stammer will speak with fluency within a few months. But others might need some extra help.
How you can help with fluency
There are things you can do to help support your child’s fluency.
Do
-
have 5 minutes of one-to-one time with your child each day to talk or play, in a calm, relaxed setting
-
talk slower than you normally would and use short, simple sentences.
-
show your child you are listening
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keep natural eye contact if your child is stammering
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give your child extra time to talk without interruption and avoid finishing off their sentences for them
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make sure everyone gets a turn to talk during family conversations
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praise your child for the things they are doing well in communication
Don't
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do not tell your child to slow down or take a deep breath if they are stammering
-
do not ask your child too many questions - let them answer 1 at a time and have normal conversation between questions
Get support
If your child is stammering, ask your speech and language therapist for further advice.
Useful resources
Top tips for helping a child who stammers (video)
Websites
This content was adapted from information provided by Enable Ireland.