What would make a two year old suddenly start stuttering,when talking has always been very clear?

Question

child talked clear, never stuttered and out of the blue is now stuttering after attending daycare for about a month. Has attended before and never stuttered, what could be different

Answer 1

It *could* be stress or fear, but it's more likely a developmental stage.

Many kids regress both physically and emotionally as they reach new developmental areas. Their brains are working so hard on X skill that they don't focus completely on A or B skill.

It seems to me (having a 2yo) that new concepts are appearing, they are learning theory of mind, they are learning new academic concepts and it's probably that the child's brain is working faster than his mouth. It'll probably clear up in a few months.

Answer 2

My children went through this and my grandchildren are doing it too.  They are just learning to talk and their little brains are going faster than their speech can.  

My children outgrew it by the time they were 4 and have had no problems after with their speech.

Answer 3

he might be frightened about something going on at daycare

Answer 4

At a certain age it is completely normal for a child to stutter! Usually it happens between 2-3 years, so don't worry right now. It is called a "developmental stutter" and has to do with the child wanting to express himself at a level he hasn't really reached yet - basically he thinks faster than he can talk.

The most important thing for you to do, is do NOT try to bring it to his attention! Do NOT ask him to speak more slowly or clearly. If he comes to you to tell you something, give him your full attention and let him finish his sentences. If you act like this, the stutter should have disappeared in a few months time. If it goes longer than 6 months, you should see a speech therapist to see if it has developed into a real stutter. Give him time.

Answer 5

As stated by a previous answer,stress and being nervous can be a big contributor.BUT,I would not pull your child out of daycare just yet.As those are not the ONLY reasons this is happening.Daycare is a great place for a young child to start having alot of social interaction.It will keep your child busy and almost always have other children to play with.A great way to try to help your child not to stutter is,when they start talking and start to stutter,stop them from talking.Let them know that you were listening by repeating what they have already told you or asked you.Then tell them to talk more slowly and to think about what they want to say before they say it.Your child could very likely be so excited or have so much on thier mind that it is getting jumbled up in thier head.My daughter is 4 yrs. old now,when she was about 2 1/2 ,she had started stuttering as well.But I did  as I just told you and now she does not stutter anymore.But there are plenty of times that she will start to talk to me,then she will say "Hold on,let me think."And she will finish what she was saying after a bit of thought.You have no reason to be concerned just yet.Try what I have said and if in 3 to 6 months the stutter has not been cleared up,talk with friends and daycare workers to see if they can suggest a person (professional) that your child can see who will help them to manage the stutter so it is not as bad,or gone.Also,before you go as far as taking your child out of day care,you should talk to them about it and see how they fell about it.Most children tend to like daycare centers as they have children to play with.

Answer 6

My son has a stammer, and it started when he was 2, so maybe thats the natural age for it to start.

other than that, i would say stress, maybe he has had an upsetting experiance at daycare?

Maybe he is very tired after daycare, that causes my son to stammer more.

Answer 7

stress.  get him out of that daycare. something is making him nervous.  Can you stay home with him until he starts school?

Answer 8

He might still be scared and readjusting to the new situation and the new things around him. Someone said take him out. I would give him a few monthes unless he verally gives you reasons why he doesn't like it. If he still does it later try talking to his doctor along with the people who watch him. they might be able to give you a better reason why. i work in a day care center and i can tell you the directors get many questions from parents about silly things like that and have books that might be able to help you.

if nothing else works switch centers and see if that helps?

Answer 9

It might have nothing to do with the daycare - stuttering normally occurs when children are learning to talk which would be your child's situation. Even though he/she didn't stutter before. Normally, it's a stressful situation like wanting to talk and having all those other children there that are talking at the same time - it's hard for those children to get their thoughts together.  Sometimes it's hard for me to think when I'm in a classroom with 18 children!   Do you have child development assessments where you live?  It's a program for 0 to 3 year olds and then they will test 3 to 5 year olds for speech development along with vision, social interaction, physical development.  Call your local school district and see if there are any screenings available for your child and take him/her to it - they will either relieve your mind, give you home exercises or sign him/her up for speech classes.  It's all free - your tax dollars pay for these services.  Good luck!

Answer 10

Use the Stuttering Foundation of America's suggestions to help your child http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.as...  Many children go through a phase of stuttering and it can be worse when there is stress.  Any change is stressful.

Answer 11

Dont panic

Its just that he/she is looking for the word they need in a limited vocabulary

sit down and teach him/her some new words for the vocabulary

I also had the problem but it clears up as you learn more and more words and how to say them

Answer 12

I would say fear. Find out what's going on at the daycare to make this happen. Is there a specific child bullying him (kind of young for such a thing, but you never know), is another situation happening that is causing the child trouble?

Ask the caregivers - they may have more information regarding it.

Last possibility:

If you can't find anything out FROM the owners/teachers, then maybe it's even more drastic - maybe it's the actions of the actual caregivers.  Maybe they yell at the kids all day, or hit them to get them to shut up or some other thing they shouldn't be doing. I don't know how you could find out information about this, except ask your child what is wrong, talk to other parents of children there, etc, and find out what course of action to take - other then just remove him from the daycare and leave them to continue doing such.

Answer 13

Often children have a lot to say and not enough time to say it when in daycare settings.  The stuttering may be brought on by the child feeling rushed to express concerns, wants, or needs.  I would recommend you speak with your child's teacher at the center and see when they noticed it first in the class and when they see it happening most.  Sometimes children just need to be given extra time and in a fast paced preschool setting, that time may not be given.

This may also be the sign of speech problem that has started to develope.  

Working with the children I do, I would recommend that you allow your child to take their time in talking and not call attention to this new problem.  It may work itself out all on its own.  If you repremend your child or point out the fact that they are doing this, it may cause nervousness about speaking and make the problem worse or inhibit your child.  Give it some time.  If you feel there may be more to this issue and you feel your child may have some speech/language needs that should be addressed, have your child evaluated for services.

Best of luck!