Most children will outgrow the period of dysfluency but those who do not will require speech therapy.Therefore, it is necessary that there is a distinction between childhood dysfluency, that will likely correct itself and other disorders, such as stuttering. The most common form of dysfluency in children younger than 3 years of age is the repetition of one syllable words or parts of words, especially at the beginning of their sentences as they try to form the sentence correctly ("I-I-I want my toy). Language learning in some children may be more problematic than that of others. As a child grows, their language and vocabulary will grow with them. Due to the large input they are receiving throughout their development it is inevitable that some forms of dysfluencies will be present in their communication efforts. These occurrences, however, are normal. When attempting to master our complex spoken language, childrens fluency will increase as their proficiency in the language increases. In a similar way to if an adult learns a second language, children may go through the same learning patterns as they learn their first language. Research specifically in computational linguistics has shown that there is a correlation that exists between native language and patterns of dysfluencies that can occur beyond developmental stages. If a child is bilingual, meaning they are learning two languages at once, they are more likely to experience prolonged periods of dysfluency as they try to work out the differences between the two language inputs they have been receiving.
Children go through the same learning patterns while developing their first language as adults do when learning languages other than their native language.Although many adults display types of dysfluency, it is usually in relation to comprehending or expressing different materials under stress. Developmental dysfluency is a normal part of the acquisition of language. An individual may not be fluent in language due to frequent stuttering or as a result of neurogenic dysfunction. The origin of stuttering is not yet fully understood but parents/adults can mitigate the risk of developmental dysfluency by reducing the conversational demands on their child. Modeling slow, smooth speech and acknowledging the demanding and complex nature of learning language can help. Symptoms
Symptoms of developmental dysfluency include the repetition of sounds or pauses between words. These symptoms have generally been noted within children from 18 months to 5 years of age. This may persist for weeks or months but eventually disappears due to the maturation of the childs nervous system. Children with a family history of stuttering are more likely to develop the disorder than those without.ex. : "Mommy, I am, I am, um, I am..."
Usually, this language dysfluency is a transitional stage that most children will leave behind as they master oral communications. At this point, there is little to no need for any therapeutic intervention. The typical occurrence lies between the ages of 18 months and 7 years as children pass through stages of speech dysfluency as they learn how to talk.