Stuttering or stammering or childhood is a speech disorder that involves frequent and significant problems with normal fluency and flow of speech.

KEY FEATURES

• People with stuttering know what they want to say but have difficulty saying it.
• Stuttering can begin in childhood and persist through adulthood
• It is involuntary which means the person has no control over the way he says sounds or words.
• Stuttering can be of different severity levels

SPEECH CHARACTERISTICS

• Language is usually not affected.
• Speech consists of repetitions of sounds like p p p parrot, prolongation of sounds like Mmmmm mummy or a block in the flow of speech.
• Speech can also be accompanied by tension in the jaw or oral muscles, secondary movements like head, leg jerk, or eye-blinking.

KEY MARKERS

• It is more common in males compared to females.
• There is no known cause of stuttering
• But can be a result of a traumatic childhood experience, over-demanding childhood, or hereditary
• there are currently no medicinal treatments for stuttering
• Many people with stuttering are fluent while singing

INTERVENTION

• Speech therapy to help in the fluency of speech and acceptance of the disorder
• Rational emotive behavior therapy to overcome the negative attitudes or feelings associated with stuttering
• Psychological counseling or treatment to overcome anxiety associated with the disorder