It is not uncommon for children to have dysfluencies in their speech.  They may exhibit pauses, interjections (e.g., “um um um”), prolongations (e.g., “hhhhhello”), and repetitions (e.g., “h-h-h-hello”) at some point during their preschool years.  Most preschool age children, (approximately greater than 70%) will spontaneously recover from stuttering. There are many strategies that should be implemented to encourage and promote smooth, fluent speech.  The most important thing to do is use slow and relaxed speech when talking to your child. When your child talks or asks you a question, try to pause for a second or so before answering – this will help make talking with your child less hurried and more relaxed.  Try not to get annoyed when stuttering happens – your patient, accepting attitude will help tremendously.  If you have any concerns, please contact your child’s school speech-language pathologist. Below is a link to a helpful hand-out from The Stuttering Foundation illustrating tips for talking with your child:

https://www.stutteringhelp.org/sites/default/files/Migrate/seven_tips_for_parents4_08.pdf