Stuttering seems to be much more common in young children than in older children or adults, though very often it isn’t true stuttering at all. When toddlers stutter, it’s almost as if they’re thinking too fast for their words to catch up.

In 2- to 4-year-olds, true stuttering is rare. What’s more typical is this hesitation in speech and in finding words. It’s called “developmental dysfluency” and it’s common, especially in boys between the ages of 2 and 5. Speech hesitation is considered a normal stage of development.

While developmental disfluency resolves on its own, stuttering is more persistent, and early speech therapy may be recommended. If you suspect your child has difficulty forming words, talk to the healthcare provider about having him or her screened by a speech therapist.

Speech hesitation usually disappears by the time children begin school. Talk with the healthcare provider if it continues for more than a few months.

See also ...

• Stuttering issues in toddlers

• Early identification of speech, language and hearing disorders

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