How to Help a Stutterer

My almost 4-year-old daughter truly hesitates between words and at the start of words when she is trying to tell us something. Then she becomes so frustrated that she falls to the floor and screams. It appears to me that she is beginning to stutter. How should we react to her speech? -- Speech Problem
Answer: Parents who notice that their young children may be beginning to stutter should seek help right away according to the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation. In the past, experts believed incorrectly that paying attention to a child's stuttering would worsen the situation. This is not true.
Here are the Stuttering Foundation's tips for talking with a child who stutters:
1. Don't tell the child to slow down or "relax," but do make an effort to slow your own speech.
2. Speak with the child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently. Wait a few seconds after the child finishes speaking before you begin to speak. This slows down the overall pace of conversation.
3. Use your facial expressions, eye contact and other body language to convey to the child that you are listening to the content of his/her speech and not how the child is talking.
4. Don't complete words for the child or talk for him or her.
You can get a better understanding of stuttering by obtaining the Foundation's free streaming video of "Stuttering and Your Child: Help for Parents" at www.stutteringhelp.org or www.tartamudez.org. Plus, the organization will answer your questions on their helpline at 800-992-9392, and for more information visit their website or e-mail info@stutteringhelp.org.