Stuttering Disorders
What is a Stuttering Disorder?
Stuttering is a speech disorder that affects speech fluency and is often referred to as dysfluency. An individual who stutters knows exactly what he or she would like to say but has trouble producing a normal flow of speech. These speech disruptions may be accompanied by struggle behaviors, such as rapid eye blinks or tremors of the lips. Stuttering can make it difficult to communicate with other people, which often affects a person’s quality of life and interpersonal relationships.
Roughly 3 million Americans stutter. Stuttering affects people of all ages. It occurs most often in children between the ages of 2 and 6 as they are developing their language skills. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of all children will stutter for some period in their life, lasting from a few weeks to several years. Most children outgrow stuttering. Approximately 75 percent of children recover from stuttering. For the remaining 25 percent who continue to stutter, stuttering can persist as a lifelong communication disorder.
What are the Signs of Stuttering?
- Consistently repeating sounds in a word, syllables, or words in a sentence
- Hesitating involuntarily between words in sentences
- Avoiding saying words that are too difficult to say
- Showing signs of struggle or anxiety when trying to speak
