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Sudden Development Of Stammering In A Child. Any Medication?
Question: My son is 2.5 years old & all of a sudden he has started stammering. He was always fluent in his talks but it was only in last 1 week that he is stammering. Kindly suggest what kind of medication should i take for him.
Hi XXXXXXX
Thanks for the query.
I understand your concern. Usually stammering is very common at this age and 99% of children improve the stammering. Thus just do WATCHFUL waiting.
At the same time you must consult speech therapist, who can provide education to parents. Parents can do a lot of help in these young children.
You must take professional help from a family doctor, speech therapist, and/or neurologist:
- If there are other symptoms like rapid blinking, tightening of face or upper body, trembling of lips,
- If stammering does not improve within 1-2 years.
- If frequency of stammering increases.
- If there is family history of stammering,
- If there is any history of Viral fever (Brain fever), brain injury, or other unusual symptoms, your doctor may advise to do some investigations like electroencephalogram (EEG), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) / Computed Tomograph (CT) or Positron Emission Tomograph (PET) scan to rule out any underlying cause and proceed with treating it.
You have mentioned that your child was fluent 1week before, it is possible that he wants to catch up fast, and there is little in-coordination between his brain and the muscles of lips, tongue, vocal cords etc. This is the common development problem with speech and language learning. It is wise to be knowledgeable about the condition, but do not become panic.
I hope, I have answered your query. If there are any other questions regarding this condition, you are most welcome.
Regards
Thanks for the query.
I understand your concern. Usually stammering is very common at this age and 99% of children improve the stammering. Thus just do WATCHFUL waiting.
At the same time you must consult speech therapist, who can provide education to parents. Parents can do a lot of help in these young children.
You must take professional help from a family doctor, speech therapist, and/or neurologist:
- If there are other symptoms like rapid blinking, tightening of face or upper body, trembling of lips,
- If stammering does not improve within 1-2 years.
- If frequency of stammering increases.
- If there is family history of stammering,
- If there is any history of Viral fever (Brain fever), brain injury, or other unusual symptoms, your doctor may advise to do some investigations like electroencephalogram (EEG), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) / Computed Tomograph (CT) or Positron Emission Tomograph (PET) scan to rule out any underlying cause and proceed with treating it.
You have mentioned that your child was fluent 1week before, it is possible that he wants to catch up fast, and there is little in-coordination between his brain and the muscles of lips, tongue, vocal cords etc. This is the common development problem with speech and language learning. It is wise to be knowledgeable about the condition, but do not become panic.
I hope, I have answered your query. If there are any other questions regarding this condition, you are most welcome.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Answered by
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