Brief overview
- What is stuttering? Stuttering is a speech flow disorder in which, for example, individual sounds or syllables are repeated (e.g. w-w-why?) or sounds are drawn out (e.g. let me be iiiiiin peace).
- What are the causes of stuttering? There are various factors, for example predisposition, traumatic experiences or disturbances in the processing of corresponding nerve signals.
- What can be done about stuttering? In childhood, stuttering often disappears on its own. Otherwise, stuttering therapy can help. In adults, stuttering usually does not disappear completely, so therapy is recommended to get the disorder under control – especially if stuttering is a heavy burden on the person affected.
What is stuttering?
Stuttering can manifest itself in a variety of ways:
- as repetition of sounds, syllables or words (e.g. w-w-w-why?)
- as soundless pressing of initial letters (e.g. My name is B——-ernd.)
- as elongation of single sounds (e.g. Laaaaass mich doch iiiiiiin Ruhe.)
Stuttering is an individual phenomenon. Every stutterer stutters differently and in different situations. How strongly someone stutters also depends on the current mental state. Nevertheless, stuttering is not a mental disorder, but physical.
The speech impediment can occur together with other abnormalities that additionally interfere with communication. These include, for example, linguistic phenomena such as the use of filler words as well as non-linguistic phenomena such as blinking, trembling of the lips, movement of the facial and head muscles, sweating or altered breathing.
Stuttering in children
About 25 percent of these children develop a “real”, i.e. permanent, stutter. This is exhausting and frustrating. It is therefore no wonder that affected children do not like to speak or are even afraid to do so – especially if they are teased by peers because of their stuttering. A vicious circle of fear and avoidance develops. The stuttering becomes more and more ingrained. The longer it persists, the harder it is to return to fluent speech.
Stuttering in adults
In adults, stuttering disappears completely only in rare cases. It is therefore usually no longer curable. Nevertheless, therapy can be successful and significantly improve the quality of life. The affected person can learn to speak more fluently and to cope better with stuttering.
Stuttering can be emotionally stressful
Stuttering can be a considerable psychological burden. Many people who stutter try to cover up their problem. They avoid certain initial letters that are difficult for them or quickly exchange delicate terms for other words so that the other person does not notice the stuttering. Over time, fear and the increased effort required to speak lead to avoidance strategies. For some, it even goes so far that they only speak when it is not possible otherwise. They withdraw from social life.
Stuttering: Causes and possible disorders
Speaking is a complex interplay of different actions controlled by the brain. It is necessary to coordinate breathing, vocalization and articulation in fractions of a second. In people who stutter, this interaction is disturbed.
- “Transmission disorders.” Stuttering is thought to be based on a disorder of the nerve signals to be processed for speech and/or is based on a motor disorder of the organs involved in speech.
- Disposition: Since stuttering often runs in families, there is probably a genetic predisposition to it. A hereditary component is also supported by the fact that boys and men stutter much more frequently than girls and women. However, parents do not directly pass on stuttering to their children, but presumably only a corresponding predisposition. If this meets a trigger for stuttering (e.g., a stressful situation) and conditions are added that perpetuate stuttering, the speech disorder becomes entrenched.
One thing is certain: stuttering is not a mental disorder, but a speech impediment caused by motor skills. It occurs regardless of social and cultural background, level of education and interaction within the family.
Stuttering: Therapy
The more precise diagnosis and therapy for stuttering is carried out by speech and language therapists, sometimes also by respiratory, voice and speech teachers as well as speech therapy pedagogues. During the examinations, the therapist is partly dependent on the observations of the affected person or the parents. First, the nature of the stuttering and accompanying behaviors are determined together.
In the treatment of stuttering, different professional groups apply different approaches. In individual cases, the therapy also depends on the type and severity of the stuttering as well as the age of the person affected.
General goals of stuttering therapy are primarily:
- to take away the stutterer’s fear.
- @ to practice fluent speech.
- To give a sense of the rhythm of speech and breathing.
Stuttering therapy for adults
A special method of stuttering therapy for adults is fluency shaping. It is designed to change the way the person speaks and prevent them from starting to stutter in the first place. Techniques include using the voice softly at the beginning of the word and stretching vowels. In addition, sufferers learn to control their breathing. However, this method must be practiced intensively so that it becomes second nature to the affected person and the initially strange-sounding speech becomes a natural flow of speech.
Stuttering therapy for children
Stuttering therapy for children distinguishes between a direct and an indirect approach.
The indirect approach does not focus on the speech problem. Rather, it is primarily concerned with reducing fears and promoting the desire to speak. In this way, the indirect approach aims to lay the foundations for anxiety-free, calm speech. Speech and movement games, such as rhythmic verses and songs, as well as relaxation and dialogue exercises, are designed to promote the child’s joy of speaking. Close cooperation with parents can improve the success of therapy.
The direct approach directly addresses the speech problem. Children learn how to control stuttering, relax when blocked, and calmly manage conversational situations. In addition, this approach promotes an open approach to the problem and strengthens the children’s self-confidence.
Prospects for success
In adults, on the other hand, stuttering only rarely disappears completely. However, continuous training can significantly improve fluency and keep stuttering under control.
Stuttering: When do you need to see a doctor?
Whether someone who stutters needs therapy depends on the severity of the speech disorder. Criteria for this are how often stuttering attacks occur and how severe they are. Above all, however, stuttering needs to be treated if it places a psychological burden on the person affected.
Avoidance behavior in particular is a clear indication that it is time to seek help – that is, when the person who stutters avoids conversational situations or withdraws from his or her social environment.
Stuttering: What you can do yourself
- Take him seriously as a discussion partner.
- Listen to him calmly and patiently.
- Let him finish.
- Do not interrupt a person who stutters and do not continue speaking for him out of impatience.
- Signal attention by maintaining eye contact.
- Well-intentioned encouragement such as “take it easy” or “always go slowly” can make the person who stutters feel even more insecure.
- Above all, never make fun of a person who stutters. This can not only intensify the stuttering, but also offends your counterpart.
