Stammering, or stuttering, can be:
- Repeating sounds in words, e.g. ‘c-c-c-cookie’
- Repeating parts of words, e.g. ‘cook-cook-cookie’
- Repeating whole words, e.g. ‘I want want a cookie’
- Stretching out sounds (prolongations), e.g. ‘I wwwwwant a cookie’
- Going to talk but no sound coming out (blocking), e.g. ‘I want a … cookie’ (where the tongue is in the right position to say the ‘c’ sound)
You might also notice body tension, or other movements such as tapping fingers when the person is stammering.
If your pre-school child is stammering, you may find this video from Stammauseful:
Further support is available at https://stamma.org/news-features/new-videos-parents-pre-school-children
The Michael Palin Centredeveloped this video for teachers about how to support a child who stammers.
For more advice about stammering, and how to support a child or young person who is stammering, please see:
