Stammering & Bilingual Children

Does speaking more than one language cause children to stammer? Find out all about stammering in bilingual children and what to do if you are worried.

Have you read our page What Is Stammering? It tells you what stammering, or stuttering as it's called in other parts of the world, sounds and looks like. It also answers lots of questions you may have.

What does being bilingual mean?

Bilingualism, or being bilingual, is where a child or adult speaks two or more languages. Or it's where parents, family members or others speak to a child in different languages. This can be at home, at school, or in the nursery or creche.

Does being bilingual cause stammering?

No, being bilingual does not cause stammering. Millions of children across the world speak more than one language and don't stammer. Young children are easily able to learn at least two languages at the same time.

We know that up to 8% of children stammer at some point. This will include bilingual children. Many young children learning to talk will stammer more when using longer, more complex sentences. Or when learning new or longer words. See What Is Stammering? to find out why children stammer.

What should you do?

Firstly, don't stop using more than language. It's fine to continue using two or more languages at home. Let your child mix up the languages, which is natural for bilingual children.
See Help If Your Child Stammers. It has tips for what you can do at home to support your child. Things like slowing down your own rate of speech and giving your child more time to answer. See the link for more things to do. The advice is the same for children who speak one language.

If you are still worried, or if your child is distressed, seek advice from a speech & language therapist. See Children's Stammering Therapy & Courses for details on how to find one. Or, call our helpline for free on 0808 802 0002 or start a webchat and we can help. Both are open weekdays 10am-12pm and 6-8pm.

If your child needs therapy, this should be done in the language most suited to your child and family.