A stutter is a speech impediment which causes the sufferer to repeat syllables, words, phrases and vowel sounds involuntarily during speech. Can cause a person to become fearful of human interaction and meeting new people, causing considerable anxiety and low self confidence.

Stuttering can include any combination of three different features. The first and most common is repetition, where vowel sounds, syllables, words or even whole phrases are repeated. For example: "I can see a ca-ca-ca-cat outside". The second most common feature is prolonged hesitation, also known as 'blocks'. This involves silences at any point during an utterance, but most often at the beginning. Prolonged hesitation is similar to the third feature of stuttering, otherwise known as prolongation, where the individual continues the vowel sound associated with a particular syllable for an unusually long period of time. For example: "Mmmmmmmmaybe the cat is hungry".

Medical scientists have yet to discover the cause or causes of stuttering, but research has shown that a stutter could be caused by a fault in a person's genetic make up and/or a problem with the nervous system. Despite not knowing its exact cause, there are several different kinds of therapy which have been proven to improve the condition. There is no definitive cure, but these therapies are capable of reducing a stutter to the extent that nobody other than the sufferer is aware that it is there.

Stuttering most often begins in infancy, when a child first learns to talk. At this time they are unaware of the social implications of their speech impediment and even that they have a speech impediment at all. This is good because it means they can undergo speech therapy without ever developing any coping behaviors or negative feelings about the stutter. It's important for parents to act neutrally towards their child's stutter at this point, so as not to cause any anxiety to form.

There are four main focuses for treatment, including Stuttering Modification Therapy which involves using a series of stages to change the way an individual views their stutter. The main aim of this therapy is to stop them putting so much effort into overcoming their stutter as this often makes it worse. Fluency Shaping Therapy is less cognitively based, instead using taught mechanisms such as breathing and tongue position to make speech more fluid.

Other treatments include the use of Electronic Fluency Devices, which a person wears like a personal audio player. The device plays the sound of their speech back to them 0.1 seconds later, creating the illusions of talking along with someone. As with singing or talking along to a film they know well, the stutter is often greatly reduced. Although not preferred, there are various medications which can be used to reduce the severity of a stutter as well.

While stuttering often makes the sufferer feel embarrassed and worried about speaking in public, there is also a very high success rate when the individual complies with the therapy they are recommended. If your child is showing signs of stuttering while they learn to talk then acting quickly and attending therapy early on will give them the best chance of recovery.

Stan Tian

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