Early Childhood Stuttering

Written By Danica Federe

What is Stuttering?

Stuttering occurs when the natural flow of speech is interrupted. A child may repeat, prolong, or be unable to produce sounds or words. This is also referred to as a fluency disorder. Stuttering typically begins in early childhood between 2-6 years of age. It starts as an increase in the frequency of disfluencies. The increase can be sudden or gradual, lasting anywhere from 3-6 months.

Keep in mind, it is normal to stutter, everyone does! 

Normal characteristics of disfluencies in preschool age children is 8 or less disfluencies out of 100 words. If your preschool age child is experiencing 9 or more disfluencies out of 100 words, this is an area of concern. 

Typical (Normal) Dysfluencies 

It is common for children to stutter as their language becomes more complex, especially between 2 and 5 years of age. Normal disfluencies during language development would be: 

  • Whole word/syllable repetitions “Ca-ca-ca-can I have that?”, or “I-I-I I want more!”

  • Phrase repetitions “I want-I want-I want that.”

  • Interjections “Like, Um, Uh”

  • Revisions “I want-I need that.”

 Children with typical disfluencies between 18 months and 3 years will exhibit easy, effortless repetitions of sounds, syllables, and words, especially at the beginning of sentences. These occur usually about once in every 10 sentences. All children experience normal disfluencies when they are tired, upset, excited, or when they feel rushed to speak. 

Characteristics of Stuttering in Early Childhood

If you become concerned, the stutter has worsened, or lasted longer than 6 months, consider contacting a Speech Therapist. Signs of stuttering to watch for would be… 

  • Multiple repetitions of whole words/syllables (especially with function words) 

  • Shcwa vowel “uh” sound (guh-guh-guh-goat)

  • Prolongations (“MMMMommy”)

  • Tension when speaking

  • Blocks (getting stuck, no sound coming out)

  • Fear or frustration when speaking

  • Tremors

  • Avoidance 

  • Rise in pitch and loudness

Mild Vs Severe Stuttering in Children

  • Mild Stuttering

    • occasional repetitions 

    • little or no tension

    • child is not bothered 

  • Severe Stuttering

    • Frequent disfluencies in speech (9 or more out of 100 words)

    • Visible struggle or tension

    • Avoidance of speaking

    • Emotional distress

When and Where to Get Help

If your child makes frequent speech errors such as substituting one sound for another or leaving sounds out of words, or has trouble following directions, you should be concerned. It is recommended to see a Speech-Language Pathologist for an evaluation. Again, if your preschool age child is experiencing 9 or more disfluencies out of 100 words, this is an area of concern. 

Early intervention in preschool children is the key from keeping a minor problem from becoming a major one. 

How to Help at Home

It is recommended to accept the disfluencies without any apparent reactions or comments. Speak to with your child at an unhurried rate, use shorter, simpler sentences, and ask fewer direct questions when the child is having difficulty speaking. It is important to provide one on one conversational time every day for 5 to 10 minutes. The goal is to provide a comfortable speaking environment to minimize the child’s frustration.

Author: Amber Dowell, SLPA

Danica Federe
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