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What is Stuttering?
Stuttering is a disorder in which speech is interrupted by repeated movements
and fixed postures of the speech mechanism. These interruptions
may be accompanied by signs of struggle and tension. The speech
disruptions of stuttering range from mild to severe, and stuttering
may also be quite variable within individuals. For example, in preschool-age
children, stuttering may come and go over days or months. In older
children and adults, stuttering may vary according to the communicative
context.
Causes
 There are many theories and popular beliefs about what causes stuttering.
However, despite considerable scientific research from the second
half of the 20th century onwards, the cause of the disorder remains
a mystery. All we can say at the dawn of the 21st century is that
stuttering is most likely due to some problem with the neural processing
(brain activity) that underlies speech production.
Whatever that problem is, however, it seems to be almost
entirely confined to speech production, and there are no other basic
differences that distinguish clearly between people who stutter
and people who do not. For example, people who stutter are not as
a group less intelligent, or less well coordinated, and so on, than
those who do not stutter. It is the case, however, that adults who
stutter are more prone to social anxiety than others, which is not
surprising. In short, stuttering is thought to be a physical disorder
and is not thought to be caused by psychological factors such as
nervousness or stress, or parenting practices or the way parents
communicate with their children when they are young. Stuttering tends to run in families, and it is generally
accepted that this is because genetics is involved in the cause.
However, the precise nature of the inheritance is unknown at present.
Onset
About 5% of children start to stutter, usually during the third and fourth
years of life. Onset typically occurs as children are starting to
put words together into short sentences. The onset of stuttering
can be gradual or sudden, and at onset the severity of stuttering
ranges from mild to severe. In a few cases, onset can be so sudden
and severe that parents think their child has a serious illness.
In most cases, the first sign of stuttering is the child repeating
syllables such as "I…I…I…wanna…"
or "Where…where…where is ….?"
Stuttering may change in appearance soon after onset and the child may start
to adopt fixed postures of the speech mechanism. In other words,
instead of repeating syllables, the child may, for example, hold
the lips and tongue in one position for brief periods. This can
seem to be a complete stoppage of speech as the child attempts to
start a word, such as in "…………………can
I have a drink." Soon after onset sounds may be prolonged during
moments of stuttering, such as in "Wwwwwwwwhere is my drink?”
Often, as stuttering develops, children show signs of effort and
struggle while speaking.
Natural Recovery
Many children recover from stuttering naturally, although the exact rate of recovery
and the average time taken to recovery is not known. It seems that
more girls recover naturally than boys, and that having a family
history of recovery from stuttering may increase a child's chance
of recovering naturally. The chances of recovery seem to be best
shortly after the onset of the condition. However, at present, it
is not possible to say whether an individual child will recover
naturally or will require treatment.
The impact of stuttering on daily life
The impact of stuttering on people varies. For example, someone who stutters
only occasionally may experience extreme frustration and
anxiety about speaking, while another person whose stuttering
is more severe may not be affected in the same way. There is no doubt, however, that stuttering interferes
with communication as soon as it begins in preschool children. Sometimes,
children show signs of frustration about their stuttering soon after
onset. More commonly, school-age children report feelings of embarrassment
about stuttering when answering questions or reading aloud in class.
Adults whose work requires effective communication may find their
stuttering prevents attainment of their vocational potential.
Stuttering may interfere with people's social interactions
and may lead to development of social anxiety. Social anxiety can
seriously affect day to day life. It is known that adults who come
to speech clinics with help for their stuttering may also have a
condition known as social phobia.
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