When a Child's Stutter Comes and Goes | Greeley

You noticed it in August. A few words got stuck at bedtime, then the whole thing went quiet for most of September. This week it is back, and it is a little tighter. If it can disappear, it is easy to decide it cannot be stuttering.

It can. In young children, bumpy speech often fades for weeks and then returns. That pattern is one reason families wait. It is also why an evaluation is more useful than another month of watching the calendar.

Next Wednesday is about the shades

October 22 is International Stuttering Awareness Day. The 2026 theme, from the ISAD online conference, is "Shades of Stuttering. What's yours?" Stuttering does not look like one child on a poster.

A preschooler repeats the first sound of "ball" when they are tired, and talks easily at breakfast. A third grader still tells long stories at the dinner table and goes silent when the teacher asks who wants to read the next paragraph. A teen drops a class that requires a presentation. A family can live with any one of those and still think, they talk fine at home.

Ordinary bumps, and the ones worth a look

Between about 2 and 6, a lot of children trip on their own sentences. Whole words and short phrases get repeated. They say "um." They start a sentence over. That can be ordinary, especially when the child is excited and there is no strain in the face.

The pattern that deserves a closer look is different. Part of a word repeats, as in "b-b-ball." A sound stretches out. The mouth is open and nothing comes. You see effort: a tight jaw, an eye blink, a small head pull. The child swaps in an easier word, or says "never mind." Someone in the family stuttered past childhood.

The NIDCD, the federal institute that publishes parent guidance on stuttering, says an evaluation is worth it when stuttering has lasted about 3 to 6 months, when there is struggle, or when stuttering runs in the family. The same source estimates that about 5 to 10 percent of children stutter for some period, and that about 3 in 4 of those children recover. You still cannot look at your child on a Thursday night and know which group they are in.

A quiet month is not the same as being done

ASHA's practice guidance for speech-language pathologists notes that disfluencies can show up, seem to leave for weeks or months, and come back. A quiet September is one data point. It does not close the question.

An evaluation here is narrower than "does my child stutter, yes or no." Two decisions: is this typical bumpy speech, or stuttering? And if it is stuttering, is the next step to watch it on purpose, or to start therapy? Watching can be the right plan when it has a date to look again.

What helps at the table this week

Let them finish the sentence. If you supply the word they are stuck on, they learn that someone else will always rescue it. "Slow down" and "take a breath," said every time a word sticks, add a job on top of the word. They do not unstick it.

What helps this week is ordinary time. Let them finish. Keep your own speech unhurried. Leave the stuck word alone unless they bring it up. If they are frustrated, "I can wait" is enough.

What therapy looks like here, by age

We see children, teens, and young adults from birth through 21 for fluency, in person, at the clinic in west Greeley.

For a preschooler, the work is mostly yours. The Lidcombe Program is a parent-delivered approach with strong research behind it. We teach you what to listen for, and how to respond, in a few minutes of practice and in regular conversation. A four-year-old does not go home with a stack of drills.

For a school-age child or a teen, the tools change. Some learn to start a word with less force. Some learn how to move through a stuck moment with less struggle. That is stuttering modification, and it is a different goal from making the stutter vanish. The Camperdown Program is one option for teens and young adults who want a tool they can use on their own. For a lot of them, the aim is the class discussion they have been sitting out.

No one can promise that therapy will make stuttering stop. Some children become fluent. Some keep a stutter and talk more easily anyway. After we have heard your child, we will tell you which of those is a fair goal, and we will say so if watching is the better plan.

If they have stopped raising their hand

This is the shade families notice last, because the speech at home still sounds fine. The teacher mentions that your child knows the answer and will not say it. Or your child has started picking the short version of every sentence.

School speech therapy and a clinic visit can both be useful. Greeley-Evans District 6 can work on classroom participation. A clinic visit looks at the stutter itself, including the avoiding. Tell us if both are already in the picture. We do not have to replace the school therapist to be useful.

We do not diagnose anxiety, ADHD, or autism. If worry about talking has become the main problem, we will say that and help you find the right next person. The speaking part is ours.

If the stutter went away for a month, do we still need an evaluation?

Maybe. A stretch of easier speech is common, including in children whose stuttering later sticks around. If the bumps have been showing up for a few months, if you see tension, if your child is avoiding words, or if stuttering runs in the family, a look is more useful than waiting for the next quiet month. The visit can end with a plan to monitor. That is still an answer.

Should I tell my child to slow down?

Not as the response to every stuck word. "Slow down," "take a breath," and finishing the word for them tend to add pressure. Give them the rest of the sentence. Keep your own pace easy. If you want a line to use, "I can wait" is enough.

Will speech therapy make the stutter stop?

No one can promise that. For a young child, therapy aims at easier speech and a parent who knows what they are hearing. For a teen, it often aims at less struggle and more of the conversations they have been avoiding. Some children become fluent. Some do not, and still communicate well. We will tell you which goal fits after we have actually heard your child talk.

Do you only see preschoolers for stuttering?

No. We see birth through age 21. Preschool therapy is mostly parent coaching. School-age children and teens get a different plan, including help with the situations they have started to dodge, such as reading aloud or a class presentation.

Do I need a referral?

No. You can apply directly. If District 6, or another school, is already involved, bring what you have. We will text you back about whether a fluency evaluation is the right next step.

If you want the shorter checklist

Earlier this year we wrote when speech therapy can help a child's stuttering. The service page explains how fluency therapy works at the clinic. Teens have a separate set of questions in what parents should know about speech therapy for teens.

Speech therapy across Northern Colorado

The clinic is at 4645 18th St, Ste #200, in west Greeley. Park in the lot on the right side of the building. Families come from Greeley, Evans, Windsor, Johnstown, Loveland, Fort Collins, Berthoud, Firestone and Carbon Valley, and Mead. Fluency therapy is in person.

Sources

Ready to talk through what you are hearing?

Call or text (720) 798-6930 or apply to become a patient. Tell us what the speech sounds like on a hard day and on an easy one. We will tell you honestly whether a fluency evaluation here is the right next step.

This article is educational and does not replace an individualized evaluation or medical advice.