There are many theories about what causes stuttering in school-aged children. Stuttering between the ages of 3-6 is often considered developmental and is the most common form of stuttering. As children are rapidly acquiring language, their speech and language abilities may not be able to keep up with verbal demands. I have listed some helpful websites under the fluency website tab that include more information about what stuttering is and some techniques you can use to help your child produce more fluent speech. During speech sessions, we refer to moments of stuttering as "bumpy" speech and fluent speech as "smooth" speech. Some techniques we use to produce smooth speech include slowing down the rate of speech, stretching out words, and using easy onsets for each word. Be sure to let your child finish his or her sentence. It is important to never interrupt your child when speaking and to let them get their whole thought out. Interrupting or trying to finish a child's thought can lead to frustration.