Stuttering is a communication difficulty in which the person who stutters is unable to verbally communicate when they wish to in the way in which they want to. Repeating sounds, syllables or words, prolonging sounds, hesitating, and avoiding or substituting words are some of the behaviors involved. There may also be unusual movements of the head or limbs.
Each case of stuttering is different. Sometimes, a child's ability to speak does not match his or her verbal demands. In other cases, there are problems in the connections between muscles, nerves, and areas of the brain that control speech. Also, psychological factors, such as mental illness or extreme stress, may cause a person to stutter.
Stuttering will be reduced or eliminated when the person is singing or speaking in a chorus, but stuttering will reappear as soon as the situation changes.
Stuttering usually starts in childhood between the ages of two and five. About 5 per cent of children under the age of five will experience speech problems while learning to talk and about a quarter of them will develop chronic stuttering. Stuttering is more common in boys than in girls. The ration is about 3:1 or 4:1.
A person growing up with a stutter may feel discrimination, rejection and ridicule. These fears can lead to a lack of self-esteem and less confidence. A person who stutters might appear shy or unintelligent but none of these traits might be true. There is no evidence of intellectutal or emotional differences between children who stutter and those who do not. So it is vitally important that a child who stutters does not come to believe that stuttering is a reason to avoid interacting with other people.
EXERCISES
1) Write three different behaviors of someone who stutters.
2) In which situations can stuttering be reduced or eliminated?
3) Who will most probably develop stuttering?
a) a seven-year-old girl
b) a ten-year-old boy
c) a four-year-old boy
d) a five-year-old girl
4) What kinds of negative feelings can a person who stutters have?