Does anyone here have experience with stuttering?

[tinfoilinfor2005]

My grandson age four is having very bad episodes of stuttering. It started two years ago when he had a bout of HSP (a fairly common childhood disease) but upon researching HSP, stuttering is not listed anywhere as a symptom or side effect. My daughter has put off speech therapy for two years thinking it would go away but it has gotten much worse, so he will be evaluated next week. The weird thing is that he will stutter for three or four days to the point that he can't be understood hardly at all, and then for the next few days he won't stutter a word. I would have have had him evaluated when it started, but the doctor kind of pooh poohed it, and I didn't want be the pushy grandmother.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

1. Sounds like you NEED To be the pushy granny.

He needs to be checked out. And it sounds like you need a new doctor.
Duckie

[tinfoilinfor2005]

3. We'll see how the evaluation goes. I pushed for that

and finally a speech therapist will see him next week. The problem is, we are from a family of teachers, some of them young grade school, and they have all told my daughter not to worry too soon because this is the age when speech develops and a stutter isn't uncommon. But for most of this past winter, the kid couldn't put two words together, and I worry that the longer they don't do anything, the more chance it could become a permanent problem.

[ThomCat]

2. I stuttered horribly for a few years

from 10-14, I think.

I think it was caused by stress. Horrible family situation, horrible school situation, a lot of pent up anger and no way to express it.

I've heard anecdotally from a number of other former stutterers that stress and trauma are common causes of stuttering. I have no idea what the medical literature says, or even if there is any medical literature. But if stress could be the cause then it might be a good idea to find out where all that stress is coming from.

I've never heard of a doctor taking stuttering seriously. It seems that they always say, "it's a phase. They'll grow out of it." Or they send you to a speach therapist, which may not resolve the cause of the stuttering.

[laheina]

7. We have a family friend that has a terrible stuttering problem.

She never got help for it when she was younger, and now she goes to speech therapy, a special support group, and a psychologist. Stress makes it a lot worse, and then she worries about her problem, which in turn stresses her out, etc.

She has been told that at this stage of her life, it will never go away.

My sister had to go to speech therapy for a few years starting at 6. Iirc, they waited for a little bit to see if she would grow out of it. Her problem was not stuttering, but she didn't pronounce certain letters. Even as an adult she has to do her exercises sometimes, but I haven't heard her have issues since she was in elementary school.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

13. He was very ill when he was ages one and two.

Two different viral diseases that required him to be airlifted to a large hospital with some scary stuff going on for such a little kid. But that is all over now, and actually his childhood is ideal. Very loving family and friends, greats times.

[IronLionZion]

4. I stuttered a bit as a teen, but grew out of it somehow

I think it was nervousness + trying to talk too fast. :shrug:

At 4 years old, all kinds of things can be "grown out of". In my humble, nonmedical opinion, ignore the doctor and let the boy go for some speech therapy. It could save him a lot of embarassment in school. Some things need to be nipped in the bud. Speech therapy won't hurt him. If your daughter won't allow it, research it on your own and help him anyway.

IMHO, I don't think there is anything medical about stuttering. It can be ameliorated though gentle coaching.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

14. He is very smart, and I'm not just saying this because I'm the granny.

His dad teaches physics and our side of the family has a couple of brains to rub together as well. I have sometimes heard that children with a higher IQ have increased problems with stuttering. He does have a very large vocabulary for his age, and a desire to achieve perfection in his speech, so maybe there is something there.

[KitchenWitch]

5. I used to stutter a lot

I still do when I am very nervous.

The thing my parents did was be very patient with me and allow me the time I needed to get my thoughts out, instead of trying to finish what I was saying or yelling at me to hurry up and speak. I am grateful for their patience.

[marzipanni]

6. Practice taking long slow breaths

and sing along with songs that aren't too quick tempo. People don't stutter when they sing!

[henslee]

8. I used to stutter badly. Outgrew it. It was rough for a few years.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. I am a special ed teacher

and have seen a few kids deal with this. The good news I can share is that therapists can work wonders with these kids.

Shame on your daughter for not getting therapy sooner. I hate to see him go to kindergarten as a stutterer. But I do think you will see remarkable results once he starts therapy. Good luck.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

16. Thanks for the good news. Of course this is what I need to hear.

My daughter has had so much advice from all sides that I don't blame her. He still has two years to kindergarten because he turned four in October, so hopefully the therapy will be done by then.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. If I have learned anything,

both as a mom and as a teacher, that is to err on the side of therapy. It certainly can't hurt but witholding it could be damaging.

[aQuArius]

10. I stuttered a lot...

But I grew out of it by 5 years. My mom says my doctor thought it was because my family was trying to teach me right-handed sign language (my sister is deaf) whan I am naturally left handed. :shrug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

11. I stuttered in my teens

I still do on occasion, but I got over the worst of it by learning to laugh at it. "Easy for me to say" and stuff.

Funny thing is, you put a microphone or a group/crowd of people in front of me and it will. not. happen. I was a DJ for about a year and in the '90s I had a bit of a reputation as a public speaker. :shrug:

[UncleSepp]

12. Sometimes I will, under EXTREME and specific duress

Most of the time, I am very fluent, but there are specific stressful subject that will make it hard for me to get a sentence out!

I have a friend who stutters as an adult. His stuttering, in his assessment, is because his brain is coming up with words faster than he can say them. He will repeat not syllables, but several words at a time, having forgotten what he's already said and what he's thought about saying. It doesn't happen when he's acting or roleplaying.

That being said, it is my understanding that stuttering can be neurological, psychological, or both. In any case, it's a good idea to get the stutterer into some speech therapy to figure out a work-around. Why should the kid suffer for the hope of maybe growing out of it, when he can get help to deal with it now?

[wildhorses]

15. still stutter...

and it sucks ass... main reason I don't talk much

[tinfoilinfor2005]

20. Were you aware of it when you were little?

Because he has never brought it up or asked us why it is hard for him to talk sometimes. He shouts some of his words when he gets very frustrated; hard to watch him struggling so. Did you ever have any therapy for your stutter?

[rbnyc]

17. My uncle, who is only 2 years older than I am...

...used to stutter when we were kids. My mom would ask him to sing what he was trying to say when it got really bad, and he could always sing it without any trouble.

That's my only experience, but I'll always remember that.

And eventually my uncle grew out of it.

[ps1074]

19. Stuttered from 6 to 10

A big dog scared me when I was 6 and that is how it started... Took me 4 years to get over it. I still stutter sometimes when I am nervous or scared. It's rare but it's still there :(

One more unusual thing - I only stutter words starting with K or T...

[tinfoilinfor2005]

21. Interesting, and it sort of sounds like what happened to him.

He came down with this disease that made him break out in lesions that turned into big purple bruises (HSP, fairly common disease in little boys) and his scrotum swelled. They had to do an ultra sound of his scrotum and he kept asking, was the lady going to cut off his pee pee. You know it scared the sh*t out of him! The stuttering started that very day and he has stuttered since.