Speech....

So I am sitting here collecting information on stuttering. I am starting to think Simon might have a legitimate issue...

I KNOW the stuttering/stammering thing is totally normal for two-year-olds. I know it's because their brain works faster than their mouths can get the words out. Ben did this too at this age... but it was different. He would get stuck on the first sound in a word and repeat words here and there. For example, at the end of this movie when he asks to hold the flags.

Simon's is MUCH more pronounced. He gets stuck on first sounds, repeats individual words and, lately, has started drawing out the vowels in words. A simple sentence might go something like this:

"C-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan I-I-I-I-I-I-IIIIIII c-c-c-c-c-c-caaaaaaaan c-c-c-c-aaaaaaaaaann I Hah-hah-hah-hah-hah c-c-c-c-c-aaaaaaaaan I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave that?

And yes, it takes about ten minutes for him to say. I feel like it has only gotten this severe in the last week or so. He was having a really hard time for awhile there, then he had a few weeks where he was fine and now it's just worse.

When he hits those vowels, his voice switches to a lower pitch, which is really kinda weird and it's probably the thing that started getting me more concerned because he SOUNDS like every stuttering adult you've ever heard.

So I'm sitting here pondering whether it's worth getting him evaluated. a) because our county's speech therapy is free and through Ben's ES until Simon is three. and b) because if there IS a real issue, it makes to deal with it sooner than later.

Any thoughts or input? I feel like if I start with the pediatrician, she's only going to hear me say "two year old, stumbling over words" and is just going to tell me it's developmental normal. But honestly, something in my gut is telling me this is NOT normal. Hrm... or maybe it is and I'm just paranoid.

ETA: It would figure I get myself all worked up this morning... he woke up and hasn't stuttered ONCE. I wonder if it gets worse when he's tired?