Learning to talk, like learning to walk, is never completely smooth and does not happen straight away. Young children often stop, pause, start again and stumble over words. Between the ages of 2 and 5 years it is normal for a child to repeat words and phrases and hesitate with “um’s” and “er’s” when they are sorting out what to say next. Approximately 5 in every 100 children stammer for a time when they are learning to talk. Many find it easier to talk fluently as they get older.

What is stammering?

A child who stammers may:

• Repeat parts of words several times, for example ‘mu-mu-mu-mummy’
• Stretch sounds in a word, for example ‘ssssstory’
• Seem to find it difficult to get started and no sound comes out for several seconds, for example ‘…I got a teddy’
• Stop what they are saying half way through the sentence
• Have tense or jerky speech
• Be putting extra effort into saying their words.

If you think your child may be stammering, please contact us to make a referral to discuss this in more detail. More information can be found on the British Stammering Association website