What is stuttering?
Stuttering is experienced as a loss of control of speech by the person who is talking. This affects the flow of speech, often making it difficult for individuals to speak smoothly and effortlessly. Stuttering is often perceived as disruptions in the normal flow of speech by a listener.
Types of disfluencies
- Repetitions- repeating sounds, syllables, or words
- Prolongations- sounds that are stretched out for an extra long period of time
- Blocks- pauses where someone wants to say something but has a hard time getting the sound or word out.
Stuttering is more than just disfluencies
The experience of stuttering also commonly includes negative emotions and negative thoughts about yourself or your speech. Stuttering is also more than repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. Some people stutter by avoding what they want to say, switching sounds or words, or not speaking. No two people are the same, and it presents with differences in severity and effects on life for everyone.
What are the causes of stuttering?
Stuttering has a genetic basis, where genes affect areas of the brain responsible for speech and language production during development. In other words, stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder. People who stutter have brains that look like most other people. However, there are small differences in how the speech production system functions that contribute to stuttering. These small differences may interact with other brain functions, like language, attention, and self-regulation skills. It is important to realize that certain factors may affect some people more or less than others, and it is likely a combinatino of factors taht causes stuttering.
What stuttering is NOT.
Stuttering is not a disorder that is caused byu emotional or psychological problems. It is a neurological condition, not psychological. Anxiety and stress can make the experience of stuttering harder; however, they are not the cause of stuttering.
Stuttering is also not what everyone does in their speech sometimes. Everyone has moments when they mess their speech up, make a mistake, say the wrong thing. Similarly, hesitating or pausing isn’t stuttering, though people who stutter do sometimes hesitate or pause to avoid stuttering if they can. The speech of people who don’t stutter is sometimes disfluent, but those disfluencies are usually different than stuttering unless the person who stutter is trying to avoid or hide stuttering.
What should I do I think my child is stuttering?
If you notice that your child is stuttering frequently, their stuttering gets worse, or they are having tension and a hard time speaking, we would recommend seeing a licensed speech language pathologist (SLP) who specializes in stuttering. An SLP will work with your child to manage their stutter while working to mitigate its negative impact. There are also ways to create a supportive communication environment for your child who stutters. Avoid interrupting, finishing sentences for your child, and showing frustration when they stutter. These reactions can actually make your child’s stutter worse. Instead, allow your child as much time as they need to communicate and be calm and patient when talking to them. Doing these things will encourage your child to communicate without fear of being criticized for their stutter, something that negatively affects the self-esteem of people who stutter.
Stuttering can be a challenging condition to live with, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right support and treatment, peopel can be set up for success.
To find more information about stuttering, you can visit these websites
The Stuttering Foundation of America
The Stuttering Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in 1947 that aims to support people who stutter. On their website you can find brochures, E-books, and videos that are meant to inform people on stuttering and how best to support people who stutter.
The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association
https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering/
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national credentialing association for speech language pathologists and audiologists in America. Their website has plenty of resources for professionals and parents wanting to learn more about topics in speech, language, and hearing, including conditions like stuttering