Stuttering In 2 Year Olds, Causes & Treatment

When a child grows and starts talking, there are some issues that they can face. However, stuttering is serious and something a parent should immediately work on. Stuttering can be a lifetime problem if not taken care of in time.

This guide is going to give you a better idea about the stuttering condition in early age.

When Does Stuttering Start in A Child?

A child starts stuttering mainly during the preschool years, often when they are around 2 to 4 years old. For example, a child starts combining words at this age and tries to make sense of them. Therefore, while speaking, they may stutter.

However, not every child stutters while growing up. Therefore, they may be a reason behind it. Therefore, it is important to understand what may be causing your child to stutter.

Causes Of Stuttering in 2 Years Old

There are various reasons why a child may stutter at an early age. Therefore, after this, observe your child point out the exact. However, it may not be easy to visit a speech therapist for a better test.

  1. Speech Delay

This can be a common cause of stuttering as a child is at an early age. It can happen due to a delay in the message that a child’s brain sends to the muscles in their mouth.

Sometimes the muscles may cause a delay, or it gets difficult to coordinate their mouths muscle with their brain signals. Therefore, receiving the message with a delay can cause a stutter.

   2. In the Family

This is one of the easiest ways to tell if a child will stutter while growing up or not. If stuttering runs in families, they are passed down in the genes from child to child.

However, there is a high possibility, but that doesn’t mean every child will stutter.

Effects of Stuttering in A 2 Year Old

While stuttering, a child may face many problems. It can have many negative effects on the brain of the child. If the stuttering problem of a child isn’t solved in time, the issues the child has to face may increase with time. Some of the common effects stuttering will have on a child include:

   1. Lack of Confidence

If a child stutters, they may feel embarrassed or frustrated while speaking. This is something they don’t have control over, so it may irritate them. Sometimes a child avoids talking, so he doesn’t have to stutter while speaking.

Some of effects that lack of confidence can have on a child include:

• May avoid speaking
• Change what they were originally trying to say
• Avoid going out in a group of people

   2. Less Social Skills

When a child starts stuttering at the age of 2, they may be okay with it. It doesn’t affect the social skills of a child at this age. However, if the stuttering continues and they start going to school, this is where things may get worse.

According to research, children with stuttering problems are less likely to be a part of group discussions and are found to spend time alone in school. Their fellow mates also bully them for their stuttering issues.

Therefore, it has many negative effects on a child’s cognition.

Treatment of Stuttering: What To Do?

Two years is an early age, and if stuttering is treated early, it would be better. If you leave it, with time, it will just get worse for your child to speak. Therefore, it would be recommended to treat as soon as possible.

However, stuttering is not an illness but a condition we face. Therefore, the treatment would be different. Mentioned below are some of the possible ways to treat stuttering in a two year old.

   1. Lidcombe Program

The Lidcombe program is a very popular treatment method of stuttering for your child. The program works best if the child is younger than six years. It is one of the most effective ways to treat stuttering.

It is a program that you can carry out with your child at home every day. The program works by appreciating your child for speaking without stuttering. There are many complexities in this program.

It would be recommended to visit a speech pathologist at least once a week. It is recommended as the pathologist would help you with how to carry out this program effectively. In addition, they would also observe if the program is working or not.

  2. Speech Therapy

This is one of the most common treatment methods found for stuttering. However, not only stuttering but also speech therapy can be used for other conditions.

Speech therapy helps your child slow down their speaking speed to improve their fluency while talking over time. Speech therapy is very effective if your child is at an early age. Therefore, do take your child for speech therapy to treat their stuttering.

  3. Home Remedies

Yes, there are many home activities that you can do to improve your child’s speaking condition. It is all about the environment they are in and influences the effectiveness of the treatment.

Some of the activities you can try include:

• Create a fun, relaxed, and enjoyable for the child throughout the day at home
• Engage your child in conversations. However, make sure there are no distractions such as TV or phone.
• Never insist your child say something properly; let them speak how they are
• Whenever they are speaking, listen attentively and maintain an eye throughout. Make sure not to show any signs of frustration or impatience.
• Be open to talking about stuttering with your child. It would make them feel confident and see as if nothing is wrong with it. It will be easier for them to accept it.

Final Words

This was your complete guide for stuttering in 2 years old. These were some of the common causes and treatments that we thought would be good to share with you. However, it is always recommended to visit a doctor or a speech pathologist to be on the safe side.

A speech pathologist would better explain why your child is stuttering at such an early age, and the treatment would become easier.