How to distinguish between “normal speech disorders in young children” and “early stuttering in young children” Each child has different muscle control, language skills (grammar, semantics, pragmatics), and other mental and interpersonal interactions. Some children may have superior (or delayed) mnemonic abilities (e.g., speech and language comprehension), but they may have superior (or inferior) general mental functioning than other children. Some children develop their speech organs at a faster (or slower) rate than others. Some children grow up with more and less linguistic stimulation (e.g., conversations and teasing by adults). These may directly or indirectly affect the rate at which children learn to speak. In general, during the rapid language growth period of 2-3 years of age, children will have some speech disorders. Most children’s speech disorders will disappear after a period of time (months or six months). If: 1) the disorder is repeated only once or twice; 2) the repetition and interruptions decrease substantially or even disappear after age 3; and 3) the disorder does not pose a great deal of difficulty (the child does not shy away from speaking because of the disorder; nor does the child feel frustrated or embarrassed by it). The child can be considered to have a “normal speech disorder in young children”. However, if the child is more than that, the parents should take the child for a professional speech evaluation.