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Speech Disturbance
What is stuttering?
Stuttering, also called stammering, is a speech disorder where an individual repeats or prolongs words, syllables, or phrases.
A person with a stutter (or stammer) may also stop during speech and make no sound for certain syllables.
•Stuttering affects more boys than girls.
•In some cases, stuttering completely blocks an individual from producing a sound.
•For an official diagnosis the individual will meet with a speech-language pathologist.
•Most children with a stutter grow out of it.
•Sometimes, a stutter can be the result of a head injury.
Symptoms of stuttering
A person who stutters often repeats words or parts of words, and tends to prolong certain speech sounds. They may also find it harder to start some words. Some may become tense when they start to speak, they may blink rapidly, and their lips or jaw may tremble as they try to communicate verbally.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, some individuals who stutter appear extremely tense or out of breath when they talk. Their speech may be completely “blocked” (stopped).
“Blocked” is when their mouths are in the right position to say the word, but virtually no sound comes out. This may last several seconds. Sometimes, the desired word is uttered, or interjections are used in order to delay the initiation of a word the speaker knows causes problems. Examples of interjections include such words as “um,” “like,” “I mean,” “well,” or “umm.”
Common signs and symptoms associated with stuttering:
•Problems starting a word, phrase, or sentence.
•Hesitation before certain sounds have to be uttered.
•Repeating a sound, word, or syllable.
•Certain speech sounds may be prolonged.
•Speech may come out in spurts.
•Words with certain sounds are substituted for others (circumlocution).
Also, when talking there may be:
•rapid blinking
•trembling lips
•foot tapping
•a trembling jaw
•the face and/or upper body tightens
Causes of stuttering
Experts are not completely sure what causes stuttering. We do know that somebody with a stutter is much more likely to have a close family member who also has one, compared with other people. The following factors may also trigger/cause stuttering:
Developmental stuttering
As children learn to speak, they often stutter, especially early on when their speech and language skills are not well developed. The majority of children experience fewer and fewer symptoms as this developmental stage progresses until they can speak flowingly.
Neurogenic stuttering
This is when the signals between the brain and speech nerves and muscles are not working properly. This may affect children, and can also affect adults after a stroke or some brain injury. The following may cause neurogenic stuttering:
•stroke
•head trauma
•ischemic attacks – temporary block of blood flow to the brain
•tumors
•degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s
•meningitis
Psychological factors
Stress can make stuttering worse for some individuals.
It used to be believed that the main reasons for long-term stuttering were psychological.
However, psychological factors may make stuttering worse for people who already stutter.
For instance, stress, embarrassment, and anxiety can make the stutter more pronounced; but they are not generally seen as the underlying cause.
In other words, anxiety, low self-esteem, nervousness, and stress do not cause stuttering; rather, they are the result of living with a stigmatized speech problem, which can sometimes make symptoms worse.
Stuttering risk factors
Family history – many children who have a stutter that persists beyond the developmental stage of language have a close family member who stutters. If a young child has a stutter and also a close family member who stutters, their chances of that speech disorder continuing are much greater.
Age when stutter starts – a child who starts stuttering before 3.5 years of age is less likely to stutter later in life. The earlier the stuttering starts, the less likely it is to continue long-term.
Time since stuttering started – about three-quarters of all young children who stutter will stop doing so within 1 or 2 years without speech therapy.
The longer the stuttering continues, the more likely it is that the problem will become long-term without professional help (and even with professional help).