Stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by stuttering when pronouncing the first sound of a word or discontinuity in the speech flow. This disorder does not include those hitches and disruptions in the rhythm of speech that are possible in normal speakers. The main differences are in the feeling of muscle tension in a stutterer, loss of control over the organs of speech, the emergence of a feeling of fear and shame.
In most cases, stuttering begins in childhood and lasts from several months to several years. Unlike adults who stutter, most toddlers who stutter recover spontaneously. Stuttering is more common in boys than girls, and sometimes occurs in several family members. It is not often found in primitive communities; some scholars attribute this mainly to the fact that in such cultures, babies are less required to obey or achieve anything.
Almost all stutterers are able to speak fluently when they are alone, or reading in unison with someone, or emotionally involved, or singing, whispering, or speaking in some dialect, or significantly changing their voice, breathing, or manner of speaking, also in many other cases. Stutterers have particular difficulty communicating in difficult situations, such as speaking in front of an audience, in a rush to get approval, or overly focused on themselves and their stutter.
Most stuttering stutters are repetitions or prolongations of initial sounds or syllables, or a complete stop at the beginning of a word or syllable. Hesitation may be accompanied by involuntary movements of the muscles of the face, neck, limbs, as well as insertions of extraneous words or sounds. These “secondary” symptoms, arising as a reaction to stammering, exacerbate the impression of difficulty and uncertainty in the speech of the stutterer. In addition, stutterers often have such phenomena as fear of different words or sounds, the desire to use synonyms or allegorical phrases to avoid frightening words, attempts to evade situations where it is necessary to speak, irritation towards listeners when they try to suggest a word is diverted eyes at moments of special spasm of speech, or they are advised to speak more slowly and not to worry.
The reasons for stuttering are unclear. Many theories have been proposed, but none have been widely accepted. Some scientists believe that stuttering is partly due to organic disorders: for example, stutterers are not characterized by the normal dominance of one hemisphere of the brain over the other. Another organic theory claims that stutterers have a different type of auditory perception, as a result of which they hear their own speech a little bit late (by a fraction of a second). This assumption is based on the fact that people with normal speech often begin to speak with a stutter when there is a delay in the auditory perception of their own speech. There are theories that see stuttering primarily as an acquired behavior. According to one of these concepts, which exists in different versions, stuttering occurs as a reaction of tension or as uncertainty in speech, reflecting a child’s belief that speaking is difficult. Thus, it is assumed that stuttering occurs due to speech failures of the baby or excessive pressure on him from others; for example, it can be generated by anxious or overly demanding adults who try to correct the usual failures in the baby’s speech, seeing them as a speech defect. Psychoanalysts have developed a different theory of stuttering as an acquired behavior that sees it as a symptom of neurotic conflict or unmet needs, such as an unconscious attempt to obtain oral erotic gratification or to prevent the expression of forbidden thoughts and feelings. that stuttering occurs due to speech failures of the baby or excessive pressure on him from others; for example, it can be generated by anxious or overly demanding adults who try to correct the usual failures in the baby’s speech, seeing them as a speech defect. Psychoanalysts have developed a different theory of stuttering as an acquired behavior that sees it as a symptom of neurotic conflict or unmet needs, such as an unconscious attempt to obtain oral erotic gratification or to prevent the expression of forbidden thoughts and feelings. that stuttering occurs due to speech failures of the baby or excessive pressure on him from others; for example, it can be generated by anxious or overly demanding adults who try to correct the usual failures in the baby’s speech, seeing them as a speech defect. Psychoanalysts have developed a different theory of stuttering as an acquired behavior that sees it as a symptom of neurotic conflict or unmet needs, such as an unconscious attempt to obtain oral erotic gratification or to prevent the expression of forbidden thoughts and feelings.
Treatment for stuttering is extremely varied. Many methods give immediate results, but experts differ sharply in assessing their long-term effects. The main techniques include slow or rhythmic speech and other changes in the normal style of speech. Some methods use mild forms of punishment for stuttering and rewards for fluency. Special devices have been developed for stutterers, either beating a rhythm with which speech can be coordinated, or creating noise to block auditory feedback.
Hypnosis, relaxation, medications, breathing exercises, and more are also used to treat stuttering. A number of sick people can be helped, but the danger of relapse is always saved. In the majority of cases, treatment in childhood gives more reliable results, but in general, stuttering remains one of the unresolved problems of speech pathology.