Dexter was a late conversationalist. He underwent speech therapy at 3 years-old, and I’m now annoyed with myself for referring him in the first place, despite him still having a handful of problems. The “therapy” took place in a knackered old shack in the grounds of a hospital. A scatty redheaded woman attempted to coax words from Dexter and a number of other tots, using a sack full of toys as props. The kids would simply paw at the sack and retreat to far flung corners to play with their bounty of moth-eaten toys, and a room full of anxious parents would look on pitifully as their children all but ignored any cue to speak.

Fast forward a year, and Dexter began to speak around the house. Words were largely limited to requests for food, drinks and for me to “tell off” Heidi for stealing Fireman Sam paraphernalia from his room, but it was progress. A few more months, and he was singing theme tunes from his favourite programs. A few more months and he was able to converse (albeit on a basic level) about his day at nursery.

It was going well. He was coming along.

Yet his nursery leaders continued to report that he was mute at nursery. He wouldn’t respond to his name during registration, he wouldn’t join in with rhyme-time, or play or engage with his teachers or peers - even in one-on-one situations. It was all going in as he’d be able to recall new words (never before spoken) when he came home, but his refusal to communicate his learning to his teachers resulted in an early SENCO referral.

Despite this, at home he became a chatterbox. He’d have a go at any word and had a voracious appetite for learning. Yet he’d clam up again the moment a visitor came around, or we’d be in a public setting. He’d revert to nods or gestures and whisper in our ears if a need was pressing.

We put it all down to a lack of self-confidence, maybe even a bad habit. We collated video evidence of his learning and fed it back to his nursery, and didn’t let it trouble us. It was just Dexter.

But now he’s started stuttering. It happened overnight but is now very pronounced.

I have read somewhere this could be a product of his delayed speech. Language dysfluency is fairly common among pre-schoolers, especially in those with a history of delayed development. Due to frustration or excitement, when he’s trying to articulate himself, his brain is two steps ahead and creates a mini blockage. It’s nothing to worry uneccessarily about and we should avoid phrases such as “slow down” or “take a deep breath” - after 6 months or so, it should disappear.

Despite this, it’s a natural response for Craig and I to worry. He starts primary school in a matter of weeks, and now he has this to contend with, on top of his teachers monitoring him more closely than most due to his voluntary silence.

So I’m after tips, advice and your experiences of toddler stuttering and “speech anxiety”. Has your child ever stuttered or stammered? Was it a temporary blip? Did you do anything to help them build confidence, or simply let them figure it out on their own? I’d be really interested to hear from you, so please do leave me a comment below. Thanks in advance.