Stammering is a communication disorder in which
the normal flow of speech is broken by repetitions, prolongations, or
abnormal stoppages (no sound or block) of sounds and syllables. A
person who stammers may exhibit one of these or a combination of all
these characteristics. There may be unusual facial and body movements,
associated with the efforts to speak.
Stammering affects about four times as many males as females.
There is a wrong belief amongst a section of the people that stammering
means severe speech problem. It may be minor, medium or
severe, the extent of problem varies from person to person, even varies
from situation to situation for a particular person.
There is no difference between stammering and stuttering.
Stammering is commonly used in UK and India also. Stuttering
is the term used in US and some other countries.
Causes-
The following factors may also trigger/cause stuttering:
1.Developmental stuttering - as children learn to speak they often
stutter, especially early on when their speech and language skills are
not developed enough to race along at the same speed as what they want
to say. The majority of children experience fewer and fewer symptoms as
this developmental stage progresses until they can speak flowingly.
2.Neurogenic stuttering - when the signals between the brain and speech
nerves and muscles are not working properly. This may affect children,
but may also affect adults after a stroke or some brain injury. In rare
cases neurogenic stuttering results in lesions (abnormal tissue) in the
motor speech area of the brain.
3.Psychological factors - it used to be believed that the main reasons
for long-term stuttering were psychological. Fortunately, this is not
the case anymore. Psychological factors may make stuttering worse for
people who stutter, such as stress, embarrassment, etc., but they are
not generally seen as underlying long-term factors. In other words,
anxiety, low self-esteem, nervousness, and stress therefore do not
cause stuttering per se. Rather, they are the result of living with a
stigmatized speech problem which can sometimes make symptoms worse.
4.Family history
Symptoms-
Even though stammering starts around the age of 5, it reaches its
zenith by teen age. In the meantime, the sufferer gets accustomed to
managing the condition. Anyway, it can flare up any time with emotional
stress or changes. Symptoms of stammering vary from person to person.
Stammerers may have a few or most of the following symptoms:
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