Stuttering

Stuttering occurs normally in a large number of children as they acquire more language around age three. This is especially true of kids who are very verbal. Their reach exceeds their grasp, and the words collide in their mouth. If Jimmy is stuttering, let him finish his sentences without correcting him. There is no need for any intervention. After a few months, stuttering disappears in the vast majority of kids. If it does not, or if fluency decreases and verbal tics appear, your doctor will refer Jimmy for a speech evaluation.

Very rarely, some kids become real stutterers; their early speech problems either worsen or go away for a while before recurring. True stuttering, which is more common in boys, can be significantly reduced by various relaxing techniques and speech therapy.