Stuttering, also called stammering, is a form of speech characterized by involuntary disruptions in a person’s utterances, including repetitions of sounds or syllables, prolonging of sounds, hesitations and interjections, or complete verbal blocks when no sound is produced. These speech interruptions may be accompanied by distracting bodily movements, such as eye blinks, facial contortions, or head jerks.
Stuttering is a variable disorder. A person who stutters may be more fluent at some times or in some situations than others. People who stutter may avoid words and situations where they are at risk to stutter, and therefore show few or no symptoms.
Most people lose some fluency (smoothness of speech) if they have trouble thinking of the word they want to say, when they try to speak too rapidly, or when they are upset or excited. These fluency breakdowns are normal and should not be confused with stuttering.
Stuttering usually begins between the ages of 2 and 5, when language skills develop. It is about 3 to 4 times more common among males than females. Speech experts do not know the exact cause of stuttering, but they know that it tends to run in families. Scientists have identified several genes that may contribute to stuttering in some people. Experts do know that stuttering is not caused by nervousness, by psychological factors, or by drawing attention to a child’s speech.
Stuttering can become so serious that it interferes with a person’s social life, education, or career. Most young children who show symptoms of stuttering will outgrow the problem. However, if fluency problems cause concern to the child or parents, a speech professional should be consulted as soon as possible.
Speech therapists use various methods to reduce or eliminate stuttering. Treatments are determined by the individual needs of the person who stutters. Early treatment, as close to the onset of stuttering as possible, increases the chances of success. Some people never recover completely from stuttering, but instead can learn techniques to manage it so that the stuttering is less severe.
