Q:My 3 year old son has suddenly started to stutter,having been an early,confident talker.Should I take him to a specialist before it gets worse,or wait and see if he grows out of it?
A:Stuttering - or stammering,as it's also known - is speech that is interrupted by stoppages and disruption in fluency.The stoppages sometimes take the form of repetitions of words,sounds or syllables,or sometimes complete silence,where the next word just won't come out.About 5% of 2 to 4 year olds stutter and most often it's simply a development phase that they grow out of.If your child is still stuttering at 5 or 6 years old,see your doctor who can make a referral to a speech therapist.In the meantime,you can help your child by:
*Slowing down your own speech when you talk to your child.
*Replying slowly when your child asks a question - maybe have a short pause before launching into an answer.
*Looking at your child as he speaks and showing you're interested in what he's saying.Make sure you keep eye contact going,even if his speech does seem slow.
*Don't bombard him with lots of questions.Give him time to speak without having to rush.
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