My 8year old DS stutter is really beginning to worry me

[azizaziza]

My DS started stuttering in 2012, at the age of 6, a few months after having his tonsils removed. Before his speech prior was mumbled only, but drs said it was due to the enlarged tonsils. The surgery was in April and in July It began with a word or two, but since we have enrolled him in speech therapy twice a week and instead of improving it is getting DRASTICALLY worse. Not to mention-my biggest fears of him being teased or being afraid to go in public for fear of being made fun of have started!!

There is no real stuttering in the family-a nephew somewhere!! Everyone says to be patient but i am really worrying about him, the stressed facial expressions; almost every other word sometimes is over pronounced to the point he losses his breathe sometimes. Anyone been through anything similar? Any helpful hints, advice --- would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[MrsWinnibago]

Well have you sought professional advice? A referral?

[Lucylookout]

Hi azizaziza, I just posted about my concerns for my 6yo stammering ds when I saw your post. I don't have any advice but thought you might like to hear from someone in a similar position. For the last 6 - 8 months ds's stammer has become his everyday speech pattern (before it came and went, he'd have good days where it was barely there and bad days when it came back), and over the last few days it seems particularly bad (end of term tiredness perhaps). He had been seeing a speech therapist through school, who was very nice, and he enjoyed seeing her, but hasn't really helped very much. We got a referral from our GP to send him to the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering in London who requested that he stop seeing his school therapist (they didn't particularly agree with her methods) and we're starting again with them in September. I don't know where you live but it might be worth being referred by your GP to them, they seem very good. At the moment DS knows he stammers but it doesn't bother him and thank goodness so far no one has teased him about it. I do feel a bit like I'm trying to beat a ticking clock though - to give him ways of improving his fluency before he becomes more aware and upset about it, or he moves to a new school where older children might tease him