Maci Bookout opened up about her son Maverick during last night’s episode of Teen Mom OG. During the episode, Maci revealed that she had noticed Maverick starting to stutter. Her husband, Tyler McKinney, pointed out that Maverick’s stuttering got worse when he got excited about something.
Maci and Taylor decided to bring him to a speech therapist during the episode so they could learn more about how she could approach the situation.
On Twitter, Bookout got support for opening up about her son’s issues from a speech pathologist.
The user, named Katie, thanked Maci for using her platform to talk about these issues, as early assessment and intervention are key. And she also explained that if a mother has a feeling that something isn’t right, they should always seek a specialist’s opinion.
.@MaciBookout From a speech pathologist, thank you for sharing your story! Early assessment and intervention is key?And if you are unsure if something is developmentally appropriate or not, seeking a specialist’s opinion can give you peace of mind #TeenMomOG
— Katie Bollini (@ktbollini) June 18, 2019
Maci and her husband spent time searching online for answers as to why her son would be stuttering. Apparently, Maci got heat for her decision, as she found a variety of reasons as to why Maverick may be suffering from a speech disorder. This included everything from problems with his tongue and mouth to serious issues, including autism and cerebral palsy.
Despite the criticism of how Maci handled the situation, she’s getting support for listening to her instincts and bringing her son to a specialist.
some people are pissed maci googled maverick's symptoms instead of taking him to the dr first. some people are pissed maci took him to the dr at all. as a mom, knowing my child is okay is worth a potentially excessive trip to a specialist. jesus. #teenmomog
— fat sajak (@jeshface) June 18, 2019
The specialist explained that it wasn’t abnormal for children to stutter between the ages of 2 and 4. The specialist also pointed out that Maverick’s understanding was spot on and that he didn’t see a need for therapy or treatment at this time.
Given the response from the therapist, viewers may have thought that Maci overreacted. But it’s also possible that fans only saw a fraction of what Maci has experienced with her son.
Teen Mom OG airs Mondays at 9/8c on MTV.