If you hear your preschooler start to stutter, don’t panic. Most children will stop on their own. To help your child, avoid saying the following:
“Say it again.”
“Say it like me”
“Speak slower.”
“Slow down”
“Think before you speak.”
“Think about how you are talking.”
“I’m not going to listen to you if you talk that way.”
“Every time you talk that way you will be punished.”
“Calm down.”
“Relax before you talk.”
“Take a deep breath before you talk.”
“Stop talking that way.”
Parents say these things with the best of intentions; they want to help their child. However, saying them is counterproductive and can actually make the stutter worse.
