When Does Stammering Begin?
It usually starts in childhood, often between the ages of 2 -
5 years coinciding with the development of many new physical and
mental skills. In particular the child is learning many new words,
beginning to use longer sentences, expressing new ideas and asking
lots of questions.
Stammering is different from other early speech and language problems
because it can start at different stages in a child's life.
For some it starts gradually - it comes and goes and seems to
be a part of a child's effort to use more and more words. While
for other children it can begin quite suddenly, sometimes almost
overnight.
This can be very worrying indeed, for both the child and for their
family. But, for some, it can disappear just as quickly, within
days or months.
If you are concerned, it is best to seek advice early. Don't be
put off by the "don't worry" school of thought. We all
know that telling ourselves not to worry is usually unhelpful. Practical
help is what is needed, which is what we are trying to offer here.
Who is affected?
About 5% of children experience some difficulty with their fluency at
some point. Most will achieve normal fluency with or without help,
but about 1% continue to stammer into adulthood.
Some experts would say that it is impossible to predict exactly
which children will grow out of it, but current research is beginning
to suggest a number of factors which can help us identify those
children who are more vulnerable to stammering. We will discuss
these in a later section on causes.
In early childhood, there are nearly as many girls who stammer
as boys, but this picture changes over time. It seems that girls
also begin to stammer a bit earlier and are more likely to overcome
the problem than boys. By the age of ten, the ratio of boys to girls
who stammer may as high as 4 or 5:1. This is why we will often refer
to the child who stammers as "he" on this website.
How does stammering affect a child?
Children are affected in different ways. Some are not very concerned,
while others can be very aware of a difficulty with their talking
and get cross or upset. Some may show signs of struggling with their
words and frustration with their inability to say what they want to
say.
The amount of stammering that the child is experiencing is not
necessarily linked to their level of awareness or concern about
it. For some children, a seemingly mild stammer can have a big impact
on their lifestyle, while for others an apparently severe level
of stammering doesn't seem to hold them back in the least.
Does stammering change over time?
Stammering can change daily and looking for signs that it is getting
worse will increase your anxiety - and maybe the whole family's. Trying
to notice what the child is doing well is more helpful.
If you notice changes in your child's speech it may be his or
her attempt to speak more fluently. Throughout childhood, the range
of speaking situations that a child encounters will increase and
his or her awareness of the problem may be growing as a result.
It becomes even more important to pay attention to the times when
the speech is more fluent and notice what it is about those situations
which seems to be helpful.
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