Have you ever been so excited about something and have rushed to tell someone about it, only to find that you seem to be stuck for words? While you may have the entire conversation flowing smoothly in your mind, your mouth seems to be stumbling on itself while talking. If this is what excitement can do to a grown-up, imagine the effect on a toddler. A child, up to the age of five years has a sponge-like brain to deal with. Each day he is faced with whole world of new information and his little mind tries to make sense of it all.

As toddlers learn to talk, they sometimes begin to stutter, and this can worry parents. However, most children outgrow this stuttering stage and develop a normal flow of speech as they grow older. This temporary stage of stuttering is known as pseudo-stuttering or normal dysfluency. A child will repeat, stumble and mispronounce their way in learning to talk in the right manner.

Toddlers affected with pseudo-stuttering have brief spells of repeating certain sounds, syllables and sometimes even short words like mom or dad. If you observe toddlers carefully, you will see that the stuttering will be more prominent when the child is excited, tired or unusually stressed. When we say stressed we are referring to new situation, like a new crèche, a change in homes, a new sibling and other such events.

The actual cause of stuttering in toddlers has not really been understood, but research has shown that this could be genetic. Stuttering should not be a real concern for a period of five to six months from its start. However, keep observing your child and look out for improvements and gradual fading away of the stuttering.

When to start worrying

Stuttering is more common amongst boys. While most cases of stuttering do go away with time, some children don’t show any signs of improvement. Here is what you should look out for:

• Your child’s tendency to excessively prolong certain sounds. For example – “cccccccan I have ssssssssome ccccccandy?”
• A tendency to repeat a syllable over and over again. For example – “Can I have some can-can-can candy.”
• Observe if your child is substituting vowels when repeating syllables. For example – “Can I wuh-wuh-wuhsh my hands.”
• Look for an internal struggle when your child attempts to speak. Also observe if he tends to avoid speaking altogether for fear of ridicule.
• Does the tone of your child change, increase/decrease when they get stuck with a word?”

Keep in mind that observing these symptoms over a period of time does not necessarily mean your child has a lifelong stuttering problem. These symptoms will in all probability go away with time.

What you can do at home

• Maintain a poker face when your child has trouble with a word or sentence. Stick with normal eye contact and don’t let on that there is a problem with the way he is speaking. Under no circumstance should you try and complete the sentence for him.
• When you speak to your child, try talking in an unhurried manner. This can teach your child to talk calmly rather than rush through things in order to keep up.
• Smile when your child is talking, even if he makes a mistake. If he sees that you are not happy with the way he is talking he will get more self-conscious and stressed.
• Refrain from trying to correct your child. What you could do once he has completed the sentence is repeat it slowly so that he knows you have understood what he was trying to tell you.
• Make it a habit to keep your child talking as much as possible. Talk about his play, his friends, his day at school and so on.
• When your child is talking, try and pay complete attention to him. Looking bored or in a hurry could result in your child trying to speed up what he trying to say.
• Don’t tell your child to “slow down” or “start over.” Even if you mean it helpfully, you could unintentionally feed the problem by making him feel nervous and self-conscious.
• Encourage your child. Praise him when he is done with a sentence. Ask him to tell you stories. This can get your child attempting to speak fluently.