If your child has suddenly started repeating sounds or words, or getting stuck when they talk, it can feel really worrying, especially if it seemed to happen overnight.
Developmental stuttering commonly begins between the ages of 2 and 5, and it’s not unusual for it to start quite suddenly.
Genetics plays a role, and many people who stutter have a family history of stuttering.
Another thing that often surprises parents is that stuttering can change from day to day. Some days your child may speak smoothly. Others, it may be much more noticeable. That variation is normal.
It’s also helpful to notice how your child is responding to their stutter. Some children don’t seem bothered by it at all. Others become frustrated, avoid certain words, or seem less confident speaking.
How your child experiences their stutter is just as important as how often it happens.
Although many children who start stuttering make good progress over time, it isn’t possible to predict with certainty whether an individual child will continue to stutter. Speech & Language Therapists consider factors including family history, age at onset, how long the stuttering has been present, changes over time, and how it affects the child’s communication.