Stuttering why

Stuttering may be worse when the person is excited, tired or under stress, or when feeling self-conscious, hurried or pressured. Situations such as speaking in front of a group or talking on the phone can be particularly difficult for people who stutter.

However, most people who stutter can speak without stuttering when they talk to themselves and when they sing or speak in unison with someone else. It's common for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years to go through periods when they may stutter.

For most children, this is part of learning to speak, and it gets better on its own. However, stuttering that persists may require treatment to improve speech fluency.

Call your doctor for a referral or contact a speech-language pathologist directly for an appointment if stuttering:. Researchers continue to study the underlying causes of developmental stuttering. A combination of factors may be involved. Possible causes of developmental stuttering include:.

Speech fluency can be disrupted from causes other than developmental stuttering. A stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other brain disorders can cause speech that is slow or has pauses or repeated sounds neurogenic stuttering. Speech fluency can also be disrupted in the context of emotional distress. While no one factor determines stuttering, the predominate theory suggests that a combination of genetics, language development, and the environment can influence the brain activity of people who stutter.

The areas of the brain responsible for language may look and work differently in people who stutter. Findings from brain imaging studies indicate that there is more right hemisphere activity in adults who stutter, with less activity in the left hemisphere areas typically responsible for speech production.

Some people who stutter have more difficulty processing auditory information and slower reaction times on sensory-motor tasks. In general, research has shown that the pathways in the brain responsible for language look and function differently when stuttering occurs.

Family histories of stuttering demonstrate that stuttering runs in families and is influenced by genetic factors. Children who stutter, for example, often have relatives who stutter. Identical twins sharing the exact same genetic makeup have more similar patterns of stuttering than fraternal twins.

We also know that stuttering affects males more than females and that females are less likely to continue stuttering as adults. Early intervention can also help prevent stuttering in adulthood. Stuttering is characterized by repeated words, sounds, or syllables and disruptions in the normal rate of speech.

Social settings and high-stress environments can increase the likelihood that a person will stutter. Public speaking can be challenging for those who stutter.

Brain injuries from a stroke can cause neurogenic stuttering. Severe emotional trauma can cause psychogenic stuttering. Stuttering may run in families because of an inherited abnormality in the part of the brain that governs language. If you or your parents stuttered, your children may also stutter. Typically, you or your child can describe stuttering symptoms, and a speech language pathologist can evaluate the degree to which you or your child stutters.

Not all children who stutter will require treatment because developmental stuttering usually resolves with time. Speech therapy is an option for some children.

Therapy often focuses on controlling speech patterns by encouraging your child to monitor their rate of speech, breath support, and laryngeal tension. Parents can also use therapeutic techniques to help their child feel less self-conscious about stuttering. Listening patiently is important, as is setting aside the time for talking.

Kids who stutter are three times more likely to have a close family member who also stutters, or did. The first signs of stuttering tend to appear when a child is about 18—24 months old. At this age, there's a burst in vocabulary and kids are starting to put words together to form sentences.

To parents, the stuttering may be upsetting and frustrating, but it is natural for kids to do some stuttering at this stage. Be as patient with your child as possible. A child may stutter for a few weeks or several months, and the stuttering may come and go.

Most kids who begin stuttering before the age of 5 stop without any need for help such as speech or language therapy. But if your child's stuttering happens a lot, gets worse, or happens along with body or facial movements, seeing a speech-language therapist around age 3 is a good idea. Usually, stuttering lets up when kids enter elementary school and start sharpening their communication skills. A school-age child who continues to stutter is likely aware of the problem and may be embarrassed by it.

Classmates and friends may draw attention to it or even tease the child. If this happens with your child, talk to the teacher , who can address this in the classroom with the kids. The teacher also might decrease the number of stressful speaking situations for your child until speech therapy begins.