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People Who Stutter Inspire

What is stuttering /stammering?

An easy way of explaining what stuttering is, is to say that it is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is interrupted by part or whole word repetitions, by prolongations of the initial sound of a word, or by abnormal silent stoppages of sounds and syllables. Usually the person who stutters might demonstrate some unusual facial and body movements that are associated with the effort to speak.

The disorder of stuttering goes deeper than the interruptions of the speech flow and it was characterized by many researchers as a “puzzle” that despite the fact that it has been studied extensively, it continues to challenge researchers.

What causes stuttering?

Based on research there are four main contributing factors to stuttering:

• Genetics (it usually runs in the family);
• speech-language difficulties (children with other speech-language difficulties are at higher risk of becoming adults with stuttering if there is no early intervention);
• neurophysiology (recent research has shown that people who stutter process speech and language in different areas of the brain than those who do not stutter);
• environmental factors (such as high expectations and fast-paced lifestyles can contribute to stuttering).

How many people stutter?

It is estimated that 1% of the total world population stutters.

What is the ratio of males to females who stutter?

Stuttering affects four times as many males as females.

What is the ratio of males to females who stutter?

Approximately 5 percent of all children go through a period of stuttering that lasts six months or more. Three-quarters of those will recover by late childhood, leaving about 1% with a long-term problem. The best prevention tool is early intervention.

Realities about Stuttering:

• Children don’t catch stuttering. Children stutter only if they are predisposed to it.
• People who stutter are nervous and need to relax before initiating a conversation.
• People who stutter need a supportive environment. They need people who listen to what they have to say and not how they say it.
• During a stuttering moment the listener should maintain eye-contact with the person who stutters.

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(The above information was based on materials from the above web pages and other scientific books and articles)