Stuttering Disorder
Stuttering, scientifically known as stammering is a speech
disorder in which the normal flow of speech is frequently
disrupted by repetitions of sounds, syllables, words or phrases,
pauses and prolongations that differ both in frequency and
severity from those of a normally fluent speaker.
The term stuttering is most often associated with involuntary
sound repetition. An example of involuntary sound repetition,
would be: - Trying to say the word "ken", but instead saying
"k-k-ken" Often times these individuals will put words together.
An example would be: - "Llllllets g-g-go home" Not only is
stuttering involuntary sound repetition it also contains the
unnormal hesitation or pausing before speech. This pause or
hesitation is commonly called a "block".
Alot of the variables that make up 'true' stuttering cannot be
heard or seen by a listener. The things that cannot be observed
include: - word and sound and situational fears - shame -
anxiety - tension - "loss of control" feeling during speech
Often times the most difficult aspect of the stutter or
stammering disorder is the emotional state of the
individual. The dissorder affects about 1.5% of the world's
adult population, and approximately 5% of children. A greater
rate of stuttering has been observed in Africanand West Indies
adults. These rates can be as high as 10%. Men around the globe
make up about eighty percent of all stutterers. Part of this
huge difference between male and females is attributed to the
fact that women are so much more likely to outgrow or recover
from the disorder.
Presently there is no known cause for the disorder. There are
several theories for the disorder; they can be divided into 3
categories. There is no known cause for stuttering. Theories
about the causes of stuttering can be ided into three
categories: 'The "Monster" study', 'Genetics', and 'Childhood
development'.
Fast Facts: - Stuttering usually begins in early childhood, when
a child is first developing his or her speech and language
skills - The majority of stutters develop between the ages of
two and five - Stutters can developed later in life, however are
usually through a stroke or other type of brain trauma - 50% to
70% of all stutterers are related to another stutterer - Most
children go through a stage of disfluency in early speech