Q. My daughter has 3-year-old triplets. They're doing well, but about six months ago one started stuttering. She hates crowds and her mom has to hold her for hours most of the time when people are at her house or when she first arrives somewhere.

Her mother spoke to a friend who's a speech therapist, and she said she is probably smart and has all this stored up but has trouble getting it out. I don't really believe that. She didn't stutter when she first spoke. One of the triplets speaks very well, and the other has a little speech impediment but is coming along.

Can this be corrected in time with speech therapy, and how do you get a shy child to mix better with a crowd? They go to "mother's day out" three days a week and that's OK. Of course, it's the same people every day. Please advise.

A. Temporary stuttering is very common among preschool children, so there isn't a reason that you should assume that it's a major problem because your granddaughter didn't stutter when she was younger. Actually, because she didn't stutter at the start, it's less likely to be serious problem. The Stuttering Foundation includes, among its recommendations, that you don't complete words for stutterers and that you don't tell the child to "slow down" or "just relax," but just listen patiently without embarrassing the child or bringing attention to her stuttering. The speech-therapist friend's comment is probably related to the developmental stuttering that happens for many children from time to time and disappears as readily. On the other hand, if the stuttering does continue for several months, or seems to be getting worse, it is appropriate to take the child for a thorough evaluation by a speech therapist.

As to your granddaughter's hesitation in a crowd, it's most important for people not to refer to her as shy or give her attention for her hesitation. By gradually introducing her to other playgroups or lessons, she'll become more accustomed to groups. Instead of her mother holding her, she can tell her that she's getting tired from holding her and that she needs to just sit nearby and play or join the other children. Gradually, she'll go to play with her sisters if she's not in her mother's arms. If other people refer to her as shy within her hearing, it's best to tell them that she's getting over her shyness and has now become very friendly. You'll see her becoming more comfortable socially as you comment on her new sociability. As you refuse to hold her and pay less attention to her shyness, she'll gradually gain courage and join others for play.

For more information on stuttering, check out the website of the Stuttering Foundation at www.stutteringhelp.org. For a free newsletter about raising preschoolers, send a large self-addressed, stamped envelope to P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI, 53094, or read "Raising Preschoolers" at www.sylviarimm.com.

Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com. Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or srimm@sylviarimm.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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