Posted on June 29, 2009 in latest news
Stuttering is a speech abnormality in which a person is unable to maintain a free flow of pronunciation. He/she may prolong or repeat certain words or syllables, pause involuntary in the middle of a sentence or a word and be unable to pronounce certain syllables.
Stuttering affects children mostly, but can also be found in a few adults. Stuttering occurs more in boys than in girls. Stuttering is also called stammering.
Causes of stuttering
Nobody really knows what causes stuttering. But there are some theories that try to explain stuttering.
- Developmental theory states that stuttering is a learned behavior. Most children stutter. If they are criticized or made to feel awkward about, they may develop anxiety and fear, which leads to more stuttering. This stuttering carries on into adulthood.
- Neurological theory says that there are some chemical or organic imbalances in a stuttering person’s brain.
- Genetic theory says that stuttering is caused by a mutated gene.
- Some cases are also acquired, like when someone is injured on the head.
Many scientists believe that the real cause of stuttering is a combination of many factors, including the above.
Effects of stuttering
The primary effects of stuttering are mostly social, which lead to other effects. A stutterer may feel embarrassed to speak to people, which may lead to lack of friends, which may lead to depression.
A stutterer also tends to evolve avoidance behaviors. For example, to cover up for the moment he stutters, he may break eye contact, blink his eyes, and also may use words like ‘aah’, ‘umm’ etc.
Treatment of stuttering
Speech therapy is used to reduce, if not cure, stuttering. It has been found to be quite effective. There are no known drugs to cure stuttering.
What to do if your child stutters
- Go to a speech therapy professional as soon as you observe that your child is stuttering.
- Create a good communicative atmosphere at home.
- Don’t make your child feel too conscious of his stuttering. Talk naturally with him. But don’t make stuttering taboo. Encourage to speak about his problem, and give advice to him about it from time to time.
- Give complete attention to what your child is trying to say.
- Don’t complete the sentences of your child.
- If you speak fast, slow your rate of speech. Speaking fast will make your child think that he too must speak fast, complicating the problem.
- Tension, stress and haste will make your child stutter more. Always talk in a relaxed manner with him.
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