<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Cecile,<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I have had some experience with stuttering in young children, including my own son, who began to have secondary symptoms of stuttering (such as eye-blinks) almost immediately. I have found that the old notions that this should be ignored and it will go away can be very harmful, because even a two-year-old realizes that something is going very wrong. Ignoring the problem is ignoring the feelings and fears that the young child may have about the frustrating events that accompany speaking. I once treated two preschool children, one whose Dad was certain that chiropractic solutions would be best, and the other whose Mom was happy to talk openly with her son about his feelings about all kinds of things. Guess which boy recovered?</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>First, I recommend that parents acknowledge to the child that talking is hard right now. Reassurance is also important. I told my two-year-old that he was learning so many new words that sometimes they wanted to come all at once. I told him that I was sure that he was going to be just fine, that this was just a normal stage in his development and that we had plenty of time to talk and listen, no need to rush. (Stuttering often worsens in times of excitement, stress, etc). I also nipped those secondary symptoms in the bud by telling him that blinking his eyes or tapping his face would not help and that we just needed to try to talk calmly. Extra patience and open communication were the charms that worked for my son Brian (now age 25 and a verbal charmer).</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Second, a consultation with a good speech/language pathologist who has experience with childhood stuttering would be a fine idea. Some children do recover spontaneously (as did my son), and others go on to stutter. A good therapist can be a great help.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Regards,</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Carolyn Chaney</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV> <BR><DIV><DIV>On Jun 12, 2007, at 1:57 AM, Cecile De Cat wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Hello</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">A little 2;9 year-old I know has suddenly started stuttering, for no</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">apparent reason.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>His language development had until then been 'normal'</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">and had very good elocution until last month.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>His stuttering is now</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">quite pervasive.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I would be most grateful for any information regarding the following</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">questions (references to publications would be most welcome too):</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">- Has there been any study showing that stuttering could have an impact</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">on language development?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">- What is known about the cause of stuttering?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">- Could any of you advice on what to do to help him out of it?<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Is</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">speech therapy usually sufficient?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Many thanks in advance</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">With best wishes,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Cecile De Cat</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">--<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">********************************************************************</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Dr. Cecile De Cat <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><A href="http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~lnpcd/">http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~lnpcd/</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Dpt of Linguistics & Phonetics <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><A href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/linguistics/">http://www.leeds.ac.uk/linguistics/</A> <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">School of Modern Languages and Cultures</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">University of Leeds - LS2 9JT - UK <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Tel: 0113 34 33 555 <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Fax: 0113 34 33 566<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">*********************************************************************</DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Carolyn Chaney</DIV><DIV><A href="mailto:cchaney@sfsu.edu">cchaney@sfsu.edu</A></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ; color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); ">"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); ">wild and precious life?"</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ; color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre; color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); white-space: pre; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); white-space: pre; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); white-space: pre; "> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 221); ">--Mary Oliver</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ; color: rgb(0, 0, 221); "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>