“Why is my 4 year old son still unable to speak fluently?”
My son is 4 years old and most often he starts talking in a hurry, and then he is unable to speak fluently. It looks like he's getting flustered. Why could this be happening?
16 Answers
At age 4 children can be disfluent at times as they are learning more language. If he speaks fast the disfluency may be more so. Due to his becoming flustered, it would seem that he is exhibiting frustration and this is when disfluency can become stuttering. You can try giving him your full attention and slowing the rate of your own speech. If that does not help, I would suggest that you have a consultation with a speech-language pathologist to assess if that is what is happening.
Please let me know if you have further questions!
Please let me know if you have further questions!
Kimberly Baradei
Speech-Language Pathologist
There are a few reasons why disfluent speech occurs. I specialize in treating adults with neurogenic disorders, so unfortunately I cannot provide you with this specialized information. I would recommend that you reach out to a pediatric Speech Language Pathologist who has experience with disfluencies. I hope this helps and that you find the answers you need.
Stuttering occurs in 4-5% of children and 1% of adults. I cannot thoroughly
consult about a case via email. I charge $185/consultation if you would
like to consult further about your child's stuttering/dysfluency.
consult about a case via email. I charge $185/consultation if you would
like to consult further about your child's stuttering/dysfluency.
Hello, thanks for reaching out. Without seeing your son in person to do an evaluation, this is hard to answer. Maybe his brain is moving faster than his mouth. Maybe he's in the middle of a language leap. Maybe he has a stutter. In any case, model slow speech, focus on his message vs how he is saying it, and reach out to an SLP to get an evaluation if you continue to be concerned.
Some children think faster than they can produce certain speech sounds. However, if he exhibiting frustration it’s always best to have him evaluated by a speech language pathologist to see if there is an underlying fluency issue such as stuttering, cluttering or developmental apraxia.
This is something you should consult with a speech language pathologist about. In my practice, I like to screen the child to determine what is actually happening within their speech. Living in the COVID world right now, I do my screenings on a zoom call or by having the parents send a a few videos so that I can get a feel for what is happening regarding the child’s fluency.
There are several possibilities that could cause this, but without evaluating your son, it would be difficult to make a definitive answer. You should take your son for an evaluation by a certified speech/language pathologist that works with primarily children. This referral can be obtained by your local board of education or perhaps your pediatrician.
Good luck and stay calm when talking to your child.
Best wishes,
Darrell Lauer
Good luck and stay calm when talking to your child.
Best wishes,
Darrell Lauer
Hello,
From your description, his rate of speech needs to decrease. Calmly have him repeat himself and ask him to slow his speech if he can. If this continues to be an issue, consult his primary care physician and notify him/her of your concerns. Request a referral for a speech and language evaluation.
I hope this helps. Continue to be the awesome advocate you are for your son.
From your description, his rate of speech needs to decrease. Calmly have him repeat himself and ask him to slow his speech if he can. If this continues to be an issue, consult his primary care physician and notify him/her of your concerns. Request a referral for a speech and language evaluation.
I hope this helps. Continue to be the awesome advocate you are for your son.
It sounds like your son may have a speech fluency disorder. I would recommend getting your son a speech evaluation to determine if speech therapy is warranted; especially since he appears to be getting flustered.
It’s hard to know why that is happening without performing a comprehensive evaluation. Don’t wait any longer to get professional help. Express your concerns to the pediatrician and get a referral for a Speech and Language evaluation.
Children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old have a lot to say and are learning a great deal. They are easily frustrated when they have difficulty getting out what they want to say. If your son is having more difficulty than his peers, then it may be a good idea to have him evaluated for any speech or language delays.
Cara M. Gelbart
Speech-Language Pathologist
I could not say why your son is not speaking fluently or why he becomes flustered when he speaks without completing a comprehensive evaluation of his speech. Children are not typically definitively diagnosed as having a fluency "disorder," such as stuttering or cluttering until they are school age. You may with to have him evaluated for something of this nature. In the meantime, it is very important not to pressure him or make him feel rushed when he is speaking. Give him plenty of time to get his message out.
Terlenda Lassiter
Speech-Language Pathologist
Hello. Before I begin my response to your question, please note I am a medical speech language pathologist. We are required to complete a Bachelor's, Master's, 9-month externship, and then apply for certification. While we are trained specialist within the domain of medicine and healthcare, we are not physicians. I am not a doctor. Now....
I would expect more than 50% of words to be intelligible in phrase and simple sentence form for someone half your sons age. Without an evaluation from a speech language pathologist, there are many answers to your question. An immediate word of advice is to offer smiling and turn-taking so he is not discouraged from speaking. We want him to be excited about trying to express himself and communicate with others without feeling like every time he opens his mouth something is wrong. By no means am I implying this is happening now, I'm just opening with that word of caution.
Next, we want to naturally slow him down by encouraging him to emphasize the endings of all his words. Try makiNG iT a gaMe where he spends more time at the enD of aLL his WordS. It is a technique I have used with students or patients who were dysfluent and cluttered (speaking very quickly unawares). Like I said, there are several things that I have a hunch could be occurring. It would be inappropriate to offer a diagnosis or strict answer without an evaluation. Please take him to the MD for a referral or go directly to a speech clinic for an evaluation. Feel free to keep me posted if you found this at all helpful!
I would expect more than 50% of words to be intelligible in phrase and simple sentence form for someone half your sons age. Without an evaluation from a speech language pathologist, there are many answers to your question. An immediate word of advice is to offer smiling and turn-taking so he is not discouraged from speaking. We want him to be excited about trying to express himself and communicate with others without feeling like every time he opens his mouth something is wrong. By no means am I implying this is happening now, I'm just opening with that word of caution.
Next, we want to naturally slow him down by encouraging him to emphasize the endings of all his words. Try makiNG iT a gaMe where he spends more time at the enD of aLL his WordS. It is a technique I have used with students or patients who were dysfluent and cluttered (speaking very quickly unawares). Like I said, there are several things that I have a hunch could be occurring. It would be inappropriate to offer a diagnosis or strict answer without an evaluation. Please take him to the MD for a referral or go directly to a speech clinic for an evaluation. Feel free to keep me posted if you found this at all helpful!
Karen Young
Jupiter, FL
Often, at this age, children do have the words to get their messages across, but the muscles used for speech production aren't yet capable of keeping up with the speed at which the brain is sending the message.
Try asking your child to pause and think about what they want to say, and try again.
Try asking your child to pause and think about what they want to say, and try again.
Syed S. Ahmed
Speech-Language Pathologist
Thank you for the question.
There could be a multitude of reasons for this behavior. I presume his hearing is normal as he speaks fluently. I would recommend to see a pediatrician who would be in a better position to counsel you on this aspect.
Kind regards,
Syed
There could be a multitude of reasons for this behavior. I presume his hearing is normal as he speaks fluently. I would recommend to see a pediatrician who would be in a better position to counsel you on this aspect.
Kind regards,
Syed
Tara Helwig
Speech-Language Pathologist
There is no cause relating to why stuttering and dysfluent speaking occurs at this time. It would be best to start seeing completing Indirect Therapy for Stuttering with your 4 year old. If you'd like to seek out an SLP, we would be glad to assist you at TeleVine Therapy. You can contact us at 330-536-3042 or email me at tarahelwigslp@gmail.com.
In addition, I would like to provide you with this website's pamplet that explains more about Indirect therapy: http://pattan.net-website.s3.amazonaws.com/images/2012/09/13/JSY_PracticalPrschl2012.pdf
I hope this helps and we look forward to hearing from you.
In addition, I would like to provide you with this website's pamplet that explains more about Indirect therapy: http://pattan.net-website.s3.amazonaws.com/images/2012/09/13/JSY_PracticalPrschl2012.pdf
I hope this helps and we look forward to hearing from you.
