Stuttering is a speech disorder in which sounds, syllables, or words are repeated or prolonged, disrupting the normal flow of speech. These speech disruptions may be accompanied by struggling behaviors, such as rapid eye blinks or tremors of the lips. Also people with a stammer will speak with sudden involuntary pauses and a tendency to repeat the initial letters of words.
Stammering is characterised by:
- The repetition of sounds or syllables – such as saying ‘mu-mu-mu-mummy’
- Prolonging sounds – for example 'mmmmmmummy'
- Pausing or 'blocking' – when a word gets stuck or doesn't come out at all
There are two main types of stammer:
- Developmental stammering- is the most common type of stammering that many people are familiar with. It develops during childhood as a child is first learning how to speak.
- Acquired or late-onset stammering- can occur in older children and adults as the result of head injury, stroke or a progressive neurological disease. It can also be caused by certain drugs or medication, or psychological or emotional trauma.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Stammering/Pages/Introduction.aspx
2. What is it like to live with a stammer?
On a personal level it is very frustrating living with a stammer, because you can never carry on a conversation with someone that you want to talk to. You also feel as if everyone is judging you when you talk to them. A stammer can, roughly, be compared to an iceberg. The 20% above the water that you see is the tension, struggle and embarrassment associated with stammering. The 80% you don’t see is the avoidance of words, avoidance of situations, avoidance of relationships and the self hate, guilt and shame when you can’t even say your own name.
http://www.liberateyourself.co.uk/disabled-students/disabled-experiences/living-with-a-stammer/
3. How to treat a stammer?
There are many different treatments available for stammering, depending on a person's age and their individual circumstances. A speech and language therapist (SLT) will work with you, your child, and educational staff to come up with a suitable treatment plan for your child. An SLT can also work with adults who stammer to help find ways to improve the fluency of their speech, and psychological therapy may be available to help with any emotional difficulties occurring as a result of speech difficulties.
The goal of indirect therapy is to create an environment in which a child feels more relaxed and confident about their use of language. This involves:
- speaking slowly and calmly to the child
- developing a positive parent-child interaction
- avoiding criticising or drawing attention to the child's stammer
- making the family environment as relaxing and calm as possible
Direct therapy
With school-age children, an SLT may be more likely to choose direct therapy, which may include:
- helping to improve fluency
- helping the person understand more about stammering
- sharing experiences with others who stammer
- working on feelings associated with stammering, such as fear and anxiety
- improving communication skills
- developing self-confidence and positive attitudes
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Stammering/Pages/Treatment.aspx
4. Who is affected by a stammer?
About 5% of young children experience some difficulty with their fluency at some point. Most will achieve normal fluency with or without help, but about 1% continue to stammer into adulthood. By the age of ten, the ratio of boys to girls who stammer may as high as 4 or 5:1. Around one in 20 children will experience a phase of non-fluent speech. In around three in every four cases affecting young children, stammering will resolve over time with or without treatment.
Roughly three million Americans stutter.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Stammering/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.stammeringcentre.org/when-does-it-begin
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/stutter.aspx
5. Why does it come and go.
Most people will stammer when they are under pressure or are talking to people they don't know or are scared or anxious around, which will lead to them trying hard not to stammer or avoiding words they they feel they will stammer on. This over thinking process will makes the stammering, stammer more. Also depending on your age and environmental pressure you are put under stammering will come and go. It is likely to go when you are about 8-10 years old due to having a developed language and having not pressure on them. But then it might come back again when they reach the ages of 13-18 when at this age you are put under public speaking pressures, and having to do exams.
http://www.stammeringcentre.org/stammer-disappears-and-returns
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