Stuttering

// News / Ask Dr. Pat / Stuttering

By Patrick J. McGrath, OC, PhD, FRSC

Question:

My four-year-old child seems to stutter. He has to repeat certain sounds before he can finish words. He doesn't do this all the time but it seems to be worse when he gets upset. He doesn't seem to mind the fact that he speaks this way. He has friends and none of them seem to notice this.

His grandfather corrects him when he does this on the phone and tells him to speak right and just “spit it out.” He doesn't like to talk with his grandfather on the phone any more but we insist that he at least say hello and stay on the phone for a short time.

I have asked my husband to ask his father to stop drawing attention to our son's way of speaking. He says that it won't do any good because his father is a bully. My husband doesn't want to cause more tension between him and his father. They have just started to talk to each other after years of almost no communication.

At home we just let our son talk the way he does and don't draw any attention to it. He doesn't have many problems when this happens.

Grandpa is coming to visit for two weeks next month. I don't know how to handle him or what to do to help my son speak better.

Dr. Pat responds:

You really are dealing with three issues:

the way your son speaks
the relationship of your husband and his father
the way your father-in-law deals with your son

Let's deal with each of these in turn.

Stuttering occurs when there is excessive repeating of sounds (mu-mu-mummy), sounds made longer (mmmmummy), or difficulty in starting certain sounds or words. Due to the struggle, some people also have movements of the face or body as they try to speak.

But many children have these same behaviours when they are learning to use language. Most children grow out of these.

Children are more likely to develop fluent speech if:

the difficulty only occurs during some situations
the difficulty comes and goes
parents take the relaxed attitude that you seem to have
the child is not worried about his speech

On that basis, your child may well grow out of his difficulties. If you want to consult with a professional, you can contact a local Speech and Hearing Centre. Stuttering is best dealt with in the preschool years.

There is a family component to stuttering. About 60% of people who stutter have close family members who stutter. Several different chromosomes have been linked to stuttering. This suggests there are likely several different mechanisms for genetic transmission of stuttering.

The brains of those who stutter have some less developed connections between the two halves of the brain and a less developed speech motor control area. In some people, these areas catch up.

You were right to ask your husband to talk to his father about the issue. But it seems that there is a lot of history between your husband and his dad. You can be supportive to your husband in his coming to grips with his father's personality. It seems that your husband felt bullied by his father.

You might want to speak directly to your father-in-law. You don't have as long a history with him. He may be more accepting of you speaking to him. You might mention that:

You are glad he takes an interest in his grandson.
Your son's hesitations are normal for his age.
Professional opinion is clear that being relaxed about your son's speech is best.
Telling him to speak more clearly, being impatient, or disapproving of his speech will make his problem worse.

Depending on your father-in-law's reaction, you may want to speak to your son and let him know that grandpa is a bit grumpy about speaking and that your son should not worry about it.

When grandpa comes, you may have to speak to him again.

You are on the right track.

Thanks to Dr. William Webster, Dean of Health Professions at Dalhousie University, an expert on stuttering, for consultation.

Patrick J. McGrath OC, PhD, FRSC is a clinical psychologist and a researcher. He is Professor of Psychology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry at Dalhousie University and Vice President - Research at IWK Health Centre in Halifax. He is also the CEO of the Strongest Families Institute, which provides mental health care to families across Canada.