I am 32 and I still stutter.
What was I like as a children stuttering? I was a normal kid and did not have any speech disorder.
But some kids start developing first signs in their early age.
The statistics say that stuttering most often affects children between 2 and 6 years old.
The average age is 2 and half years.
But is this the "proper" stammering? Numbers say that 65% children recover before they start school.
They do so naturally.
By the time they know what is going on around them they do not even remember any speech problems.
But, those who do not restore a normal speech by that age will less probably do so without therapy.
18% of these kids get well abruptly and the top age is 3,5 years.
If a child does not recover by the age of 6, treatment is necessary.
How was it with me? I was 6 and still no signs of stuttering.
The first ones came when I was around 12.
My first therapy started at the age of 14.
Can we still in this case talk about a stuttering child? Many small kids have problems speaking fluently.
That is not unusual.
They do not even register these repetitions.
I just want to highlight that I am not talking about clear signs of a children stuttering.
I would like to point out, that the first stammer is not necessary a problem.
The stuttering development comes when a child starts noticing the way it speaks.
Words and sentences might be shouted in a hurry.
They might feel ashamed and do not want to communicate.
In this case a help from parents is needed.
Don't look as if you notice your child's speech problem.
Just be patient, listen and make sure you understand what he or she wants to say.
Other pieces of advice might be:

• Don't correct your child or tell him/her to speak unmistakably or to speak slower.
  Everything should be natural.
  
• A good idea is to make a rule that all members of a family have to wait until the one speaking finishes.
  Only then it is allowed for others to interrupt.
  Your kid will not be under pressure to talk fast.
  
• No teasing about stuttering.
  No attempts to insult child's self-esteem.
  
• Do a lot of activities as a family.
  By doing other things your kid forgets about speaking problems.
  Look for what your child likes doing and develop these skills.
  
• Your child will need to have a foreseeable regime and sleep enough.
  Developmental challenges such as talking will be handled easier.
  
• And the most important at the end: it needs to be loved! No pressure to be "normal".
  It is normal and needs to know what it's strengths are to rely on those when under pressure.