Drooling is common among toddlers who have not yet learned to completely swallow an excess of saliva or liquid. Toddlers may also drool as their molar teeth are just starting to come in (see references 2 and 3). Stuttering can occur in toddlers who are just learning to speak in sentences or who have not developed the process of slowing down their words and speaking freely (see Reference 1). Patience, positive reinforcement, talking and listening are all important aspects in helping a child who is drooling or stuttering (see references 1, 2 and 3).
Drooling
Positive reinforcement is key to a child overcoming excessive drooling. Pointing out that the child's chin is wet, by saying things such as, "Look, your chin is wet, we should wipe it dry," and then wiping it dry, triggers a mental reminder that makes the child aware of when he is wet as opposed to when he is dry. Allow the child to wipe his chin himself, and include the positive reinforcement by saying, "You did a good job, doesn't that feel better?" (see reference 3).
Many times excess saliva escapes a child's mouth because he has not yet learned swallow completely. To help the child learn, start by taking a small drink of water and placing the child's fingers on the drinker's throat. Slowly swallow the liquid allowing the child to feel that reflex. Next, reverse the roles and have the child sip some water and the parent should then place her hands to check the child's swallowing reflex. Parenting.com recommends giving a child several sips of water during the day to develop his swallowing (see references 2 and 3).
Muscle tone exercises are key to improvement. Blowing bubbles, holding a popsicle stick in between teeth, whistling, blowing pieces of paper across a table, and blowing on a horn are all exercises that strengthen the muscles around the jaw, chin and mouth. This process can take time, such as up to one month to really see improvement, and possibly longer (see reference 3).
Stuttering
Giving a child enough attention and quality time during the day is an important way to help one who stutters. Stutteringhelp.org recommends talking in a slow and calm voice while using frequent pauses. By pausing after and before speaking, the child will learn to control how fast the words are coming out of his mouth, and relaxing when speaking will kick in. It is important for family members to take turns listening and talking to one another. When there are fewer interruptions, a child will gain more confidence and will have an easier time with his talking, rather than speaking fast to get a word in. Let the child know that he is being heard. Rather then asking a lot of questions, comment on the types of things that the child is sharing, he will become relaxed and the parent or adult will notice that the child is speaking more freely.
Positive reinforcement is extremely important when it comes to stuttering. Criticism, teasing, laughing at or putting a child down because of stuttering can be very traumatic and can prevent him from even speaking for fear of what will come out of his mouth. Talking, listening and acceptance is vital for improvement (see reference 1).
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