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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffSigns and symptoms of stuttering include:
- Difficulty starting a word, sentence or phrase
- Repetition of a sound, syllable or word
The speech difficulties of stuttering may be accompanied by:
- Rapid eye blinks
- Tremors of the lips or jaw
- Tension, tightness or movement of the face or upper body
When to see a doctor
Many children stutter when they are learning to talk; it's common for kids between the ages of 2 and 5 to stutter. For most, the stuttering goes away on its own.
Call your child's doctor for an appointment if stuttering:
- Lasts more than six months
- Becomes more frequent
- Occurs along with facial tension or tightness
- Occurs with other facial or body movements
- Affects your child's schoolwork or social interactions
- Causes emotional problems, such as fear or avoidance of situations in which your child has to talk
- Continues beyond age 5 or first becomes noticeable in early school age, when your child begins reading aloud in school
- Ropper AH, et al. Normal development and deviations in development of the nervous system. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3634622. Accessed July 12, 2009.
- Prasse JE, et al. Stuttering: An overview. American Family Physician. 2009;77:1271.
- Stuttering. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/stutter.htm. Accessed July 11, 2009.
- Stuttering. American Speech-Language Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering.htm. Accessed July 11, 2009.
- 7 tips for talking with your child. The Stuttering Foundation. http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=632. Accessed July 12, 2009.
