What is Stuttering? Causes and Treatment

Stuttering is more than disfluency. Stuttering may also include tension and negative emotions related to speech. It may interfere with the way you speak to others. The person may want to hide his stuttering. Therefore, he may avoid certain words or situations. A person may not want to talk on the phone to avoid stuttering. The severity of stuttering can vary from day to day. Some days you may stutter more, some days you stutter less. Stress and excitement can increase stuttering.

What is Stuttering?

Stuttering is a speech disorder. The fluency of speech is impaired. A person who stutters knows what he wants to say, but has difficulty saying it. While speaking, they stumble on words and syllables and repeat and lengthen the word or syllable. Or they may pause while speaking when they reach a problem word or sound.

Stuttering usually begins in childhood. However, it can sometimes become a chronic condition that lasts into adulthood. If stuttering continues into adulthood, it can have a negative impact on a person’s self-esteem and communication with other people. Stuttering can also negatively impact job performance and opportunities, and treatment can come at a high financial cost.

Stuttering occurs most frequently in children between the ages of 2 and 6 during the language development process. In general, 5-10% of children may experience short or long-term stuttering at some point in their lives. Boys are 2 to 3 times more likely to stutter than girls, and this gender difference increases as they get older; The number of boys who continue to stutter is three to four times the number of girls. About 75 percent of children recover from stuttering. For the remaining 25 percent who continue to stutter, stuttering may continue as a lifelong communication disorder.

How Does Normal Speech Occur?

Speech sounds arise as a result of a series of precisely coordinated muscle movements that include breathing, phonation (sound production) and articulation (movement of the throat, palate, tongue and lips). Muscle movements are controlled by the brain. Speech is accompanied by hearing.

What Causes Stuttering?

The causes of stuttering are not fully known. Stuttering is generally classified as neurological and developmental:

• Developmental stuttering:Developmental stuttering occurs in young children at the beginning of language development, when they are just beginning to speak. It is the most common form of stuttering. It is thought that developmental stuttering is fueled by many factors. Brain imaging studies have shown consistent significant differences in people who stutter compared to their non-stuttering peers. Developmental stuttering may also occur in other people in the same family, and research shows that genetic factors cause stuttering to occur.
• Neurological stuttering:Neurogenic stuttering can occur after events such as stroke, head trauma, or brain injuries that disrupt brain functions. In brain injuries, the brain cannot coordinate the areas active on speech.
• Psychogenic stuttering:It may develop after emotional trauma. Especially in children, traumas such as sudden death of relatives or sexual abuse may trigger stuttering.

What are the symptoms of stuttering?

Symptoms of stuttering may include:

• Difficulty starting a word or sentence
• lengthening a word or sounds within a word
• Short-term silence when trying to say some syllables and words while speaking
• Adding extra words such as “mmm” if difficulty moving on to the next word is expected
• Excessive tension of the face and body when producing words
• Don’t worry while talking
• Inability to communicate effectively with those around you
• Blinking rapidly while talking
• Trembling of lips and chin when speaking
• Appearance of facial tics while speaking
• Don’t clench your fists when speaking

Stutterers stutter more when they are stressed, tired or excited. Rushing and feeling under pressure increases stuttering. Speaking in front of a group or on the phone is very difficult for people who stutter. Stutterers are more comfortable talking or singing to themselves.

What are the Risk Factors for Stuttering?

• Stuttering is more common in men than in women.
• Developmental delays experienced during childhood make it easier for stuttering to occur.
• The likelihood of a child stuttering increases if there are other members of the family who stutter.
• Stress in the family, high family expectations, and other types of pressure can initiate and worsen stuttering.

What are the complications of stuttering?

• Difficulty communicating with others
• Feeling anxious and anxious while speaking
• Not talking and avoiding conversation
• Failure in school, work and social life
• to be ridiculed, to be bullied
• Diffidence

How is Stuttering Diagnosed and Treated?

The biggest question in the minds of people whose children or themselves stutter is “How to cure stuttering?” Stuttering is often noticed by parents and teachers. After evaluation by a pediatrician and child psychiatrist, he is referred to a speech therapist.

Stuttering treatment methods:

There are different approaches to the treatment of children and adults who stutter. Generally, the treatment method is determined individually. A therapy method that is beneficial for one person may not be effective for another person.

Even if treatment does not eliminate all stuttering, speech fluency can improve, the person can communicate effectively and be successful in school, work and social activities.

Early treatment can prevent stuttering from becoming a lifelong problem. The methods used aim to ensure speaking fluency in children and to make the child open to communication. Doctors generally recommend that a child be evaluated if he or she has stuttered for 3 to 6 months, exhibits stuttering-related coping behaviors, or has a family history of stuttering or related communication disorders. In general, clinicians recommend that the child be evaluated every 3-4 months to measure the success of stuttering therapy. The main treatment methods used in the treatment of stuttering are:

• Speech therapy:With this treatment, the aim is to slow down the person’s speech and make him realize that he stutters. With therapy, speech that is initially very slow can later become more fluent and natural.
• Electronic devices:Various electronic devices are available to increase speech fluency. The therapist determines the electronic device to be selected.
• Cognitive therapy:It aims to solve stress, anxiety and self-confidence problems caused by stuttering. It also tries to change the way of thinking that makes stuttering worse.
• Parent-child relationship:Parents are educated about how to treat a stuttering child. The person’s immediate environment has a great impact on the treatment of stuttering.
• Medication:There are no medications approved for the treatment of stuttering. However, some medications used to treat epilepsy, depression and anxiety are being tested. These drugs have many side effects with long use.

Researchers around the world are exploring ways to improve the early diagnosis and treatment of stuttering and identify its causes.

How Should the Family of a Stuttering Child Act?

If children stutter: 

• Provide the necessary home environment for your child to talk comfortably. If the child is excited and wants to talk a lot, make time for him.
• Listen carefully when the child is talking, do not interrupt him.
• Do not rush when talking to the child, do not create time pressure on the child.
• Do not be impatient and complete the child’s words. Give your child the feeling that you have enough time to listen to him/her.
• Explain to the child that his/her situation is livable and that problems can be corrected.
• Children with stuttering problems experience stress and anxiety, try to comfort them as much as you can.