What would cause my ds to start stuttering?

[pooh bear]

My dh and I have noticed that our ds has started to stutter. It has been going on for about 2 weeks now. It is not a certain word or phrase that is tripping him up. It seems to be the beginning of a sentence, and not all the time. He also dips his head down whilst he is trying to say the word, and he eyes roll up, so you just see the whites of them.

 

We have asked him why he does this, but he syas that he doesn't know that he is doing it. He turned 9 last month, and has never stuttered before.

 

He also repeats what he says sometimes. Again, not all the time and it is barely above a whisper. Ds says that he does not realise that he does it.

 

What would cause a 9 yo to start stuttering?

[newlifemom]

I have no idea, but at 9 I would consider it unusual and at least begin with consulting a pediatrician. My first thought [untrained and unknowledgeable so please take it fwiw] is some kind of mini stroke or bell's palsy(sp?). I would address it. Hope you find some answers.

[gingersmom]

I know nothing about stuttering but it is definitely something I would not let go and go see your pediatrician about.

 

http://www.stutteringhelp.org/

[specialmama]

Ya, I'd be going to the dr within the week. Sounds like seizure activity is disrupting the language connections in the brain. :grouphug: Most stuff like this is not terribly serious in the grand scheme of things, so try not to panic, but do see your doctor this week. :grouphug:

[abbeyej]

It could just be a tic -- they aren't unusual in this age, and taken alone aren't dangerous and will likely go away. That said, I agree with everyone else: this is the time to chat with the pediatrician, and do it sooner rather than later. He will *probably* tell you it's just a tic and to give it time (and perhaps look for certain other changes), but he may also want to observe and maybe even order some tests to rule out other issues.

 

Has anything else come up recently? Sudden unexplained anxiety or obsessive traits? Any other tics (throat clearing, hand flapping, blinking, etc)?

 

I'd take him in. Don't panic. It's probably just a brief developmental thing. But take him in just to be sure.

[Denisemomof4]

my husband started to stutter at age 8 and it was caused by a sudden, loud noise. He was asleep in his mom's car (don't know why but she was there) when a fire engine flew by with the siren on.

 

It doesn't sound like a seizure to me. I've done extensive research on seizures and I'd be surprised if he was having one only at the beginning of a sentence. I've seen the eyes roll up during a stutter.

 

Being that he just started, speech therapy may really help.

 

Definitely get a medical opinion! I wish my MIL had helped my hubby earlier in life. He got help around the time we married and it was SO MUCH HARDER.

[i.love.lucy]

So is stuttering kind of related to a tic? I ask because I had posted once about my dd stuttering/stammering. She didn't start this until at least 1st grade, but mostly in 2nd. One of those things that you finally notice is a problem but you can't put your finger on exactly when it started. This past fall when she started 3rd I thought it was getting pretty bad. ETA: after reading Denise's post above, I do know that it didn't start until after dd had a traumatic experience in a "show off" for theater arts class. She froze and then panicked. It was really, really bad - like a panic attack.

 

Now that we pulled her from ps it seems to be improving but she also is now doing this weird hard blinking thing sometimes - but not when she's speaking. Her eyes are fine. It's like a tic I suppose but I didn't put the two together.

 

We can't afford private speech therapy and insurance won't cover anything. All we've done to help is encourage her to slow down, think through what she's saying, and don't point out the stutter, and don't say the word for her. She got caught up in school with "reading fast" like it's some kind of contest, and so we are retraining in our homeschool to slow down. I think it's helping.

 

The eye-rolling thing is concerning to me. I would certainly see your pediatrician to make sure it's all okay. I believe you can also get a referral for a speech evaluation if your ped recommends it. Good luck!

Edited July 19, 2009 by i.love.lucy

[runninmommy]

My daughter started this when she was completely overwhelmed. It did not subside until her stress/excitement was gone. Only a few weeks in her case.

[Mom24bz1g]

start stuttering if they are being exposed to long-term environmental allergies. It took us years to figure out and lots of stuttering which eventually led to seizures for one of our kids. Now, I pay close attention and we figure out what is causing it and remove them from the allergy. Pesticides are a HUGE allergen to them. Years ago swimming in pools would cause it.

 

It's strange because dh and I are both fine, but all 5 kids react the same way.

 

Hope you figure it out.

 

Michele

[lilbean05]

My 2 year old, who speaks very very well, started stuttering just a few weeks ago, right when he had his first ever very high fever (104). Even after we got the fever down (turns out it was Roseolla), he still did the stuttering, his eyes looking up (not rolling like a seizure, but just looking up. People do that when they are thinking), and jutting his chin out to try and form his words. What we have done, in just the past few weeks is to smile calmly and say "Sllllllloooooooowww down. Reeeelaaaaxxxx." and then have him very slowly try to say what he was going to say. Most of the time I KNEW what he was going to say or ask for, so I would slow him down myself and have him repeat after me. He had the hardest time asking "May I have..." So he would stop, take a deep breath, and then repeat May and then I and then have after me. Then he would smile and be thrilled that he actually was able to say what he was trying to say.

 

I am not sure why the fever triggered the onset, but we now are able to really help by slowing him down. Stuttering, from what I understand, is when your mind is going a million miles a minute, but you can't articulate yourself fast enough. So, you are trying to get it all out at once! His brain is already on "have" when his mouth is still trying to say "May", so there is a disconnect between those two processes.

 

My youngest sister did this (she is now 11 and speaks very well now) and my parents did the same slow down process with her.

 

Good luck!