Stuttering: What You Need To Know
What is stuttering?
Stuttering/ or also known as stammering is a speech disorder characterized by repetition of sounds, syllables, or words; prolongation of sounds; and interruptions in speech known as blocks.
Who stutters?
Stuttering affects people of all ages. It occurs most often in children between the ages of 2 and 6 as they are developing their language skills. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of all children will stutter for some period in their life, lasting from a few weeks to several years. Boys are 2 to 3 times as likely to stutter as girls and as they get older this gender difference increases; the number of boys who continue to stutter is three to four times larger than the number of girls. Most children outgrow stuttering. Approximately 75 percent of children recover from stuttering. For the remaining 25 percent who continue to stutter, stuttering can persist as a lifelong communication disorder.
The best candidates for speech therapy include those who:
have stuttered for three to six months
have pronounced stuttering
struggle with stuttering or experience emotional difficulties because of stuttering
have a family history of stuttering
What are the causes of stuttering?
The precise mechanisms that cause stuttering are not understood. However, there are multiple possible causes of stuttering. Some include:
family history of stuttering
family dynamics
neurophysiology
development during childhood
Brain injuries from a stroke can cause neurogenic stuttering. Severe emotional trauma can cause psychogenic stuttering.
Stuttering may run in families because of an inherited abnormality in the part of the brain that governs language. If you or your parents stuttered, your children may also stutter.
What are the types of stuttering?
There are three types of stuttering:
Developmental. Most common in children younger than 5 years old, particularly males, this type occurs as they develop their speech and language abilities. It usually resolves without treatment.
Neurogenic. Signal abnormalities between the brain and nerves or muscles cause this type.
Psychogenic. This type originates in the part of the brain that governs thinking and reasoning.