Young children often stop, pause, start again and stumble over words when they are learning to talk.
5% of children under 5 will experience non-fluent speech when learning to talk.
About one third of these children will not simply grow out of it.
Between 2 and 5 years it is normal for a child to repeat words and phrases and hesitate with ‘ums’ and ‘ers’ when planning what to say next.
Consider a referral if one or more of the following occurs:
- The child is dysfluent for more than 3 months
- There is a family history of stammering and/or speech and language difficulties
- The child has additional speech and language difficulties
- The parents are particularly concerned
- The child is aware of difficulty or showing signs of frustration