SAGE Advice: My child stutters…sometimes. My doctor says to “wait.” How do I know when to seek speech therapy?

Stuttering, or dysfluent speech, is a topic that is very close to my heart.  My own daughter is a person who stutters and I feel very strongly about seeking appropriate early intervention.  I say “appropriate” because there is little evidence-based treatment for stuttering, there are a variety of approaches out there, and the majority of Speech Language Pathologists have never been trained to treat stuttering.

 Another hurdle is that most Pediatricians are not Speech Language Pathologists…actually, I have yet to meet a pediatrician who is both a doctor and a speech language pathologist.  I recommend getting advice from the expert, so PLEASE seek out a speech pathologist when you have concerns about stuttering (or any speech, language or communication issue)!

 The average age of onset of a stutter is between 3 and 6 years. Some stuttering is “developmental,” meaning is it part of typical development and will pass.  Some stuttering is not.  Since we have little research on stuttering and its characteristics, it if difficult to know when your child’s stuttering is developmental.  It is always best to consult with a speech pathologist who specializes in fluency disorders.

 At SAGE Speech & Learning we specialize in treating Fluency disorders in the preschool population.  We believe it is the time when therapy can be most effective in mitigating stuttering and its effects.