Content
First, as a person who's stuttered their whole life, and now as a parent, thank you for seeking this advice. You're already doing a wonderful job. Your daughter is lucky to have you. As another poster said, don't make a big deal out of it. She's still very young. It may go away on its own, so long as it doesn't become a trauma for her. Give her the space to speak. Don't rush her. Don't comment on the stutter. Don't say things like "slow down honey". It's nothing she's doing wrong, it just is what it is, and she will adapt how she adapts. Having her in speech therapy from a young age is excellent. Two ways in which I wish my family had supported me: 1. Created a more safe-space at home. One of my brothers mocked me relentlessly and daily for nearly a decade. My parents should have taken whatever steps necessary to squash that behavior from my brother swiftly and finally. I never really felt safe speaking at home. It also didn't help that if my stutter sometimes got weird, like my face getting really weird looking or I make a weird sound one day, that my Mom would sometimes burst out laughing or say "what the hell was that?" She totally tried to handle him with humor, and I understood that she didn't have mal-intent in the moment, but I still remember it don't I? 2. When she gets older, help her understand that she may always stutter and that she CAN and WILL live it successfully. There is no cure. There is only acceptance. Model that acceptance, and make her believe it for herself. I spent far too many years seeking a cure, or waiting until I got older and it to just magically disappear. I'm mid-30s and it's still severely present. I'm still struggling to learn to live with it. Lastly, don't let her shy away from it. I always like to imagine other disabilities and how apparent they can be, like being a paraplegic. Can't go to a party without everyone immediately knowing you're a paraplegic. But, with stuttering, it's easy to just... not talk. Within reason, don't let her do that. Keep her talking. Let her order food for herself at restaurants. Push her to call the doctor's office herself when she's older. Don't let her pretend like she's sick on presentation day at school (very guilty of this). Yes, she will stutter, and it may be embarrassing, but it's the only way through. She will learn to live with it, and she will survive. There are so many successful people with stutters. It will not impact her success. It can impact her life happiness if she lets it.