Fluency in speech and language is often appreciated, however, sometimes, we come across people, who are unable to speak fluently and may stammer. This speech disorder, if not corrected during childhood, can be problematic in the later stages of life. Therefore, every year to create public awareness about the same, International Stammering Awareness Day is observed on 22nd October. This year, the theme of the day is ‘A World That Understands stuttering’.
There are more than 70 million people worldwide who stammer. But why does stammering occur and how can it be corrected? We talked to Dr. K. Nagender, Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologist (SPL), as well as founder of Telangana Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologist Association, Hyderabad and here is what he explains.
What Is Stammering And Its Causes?
Dr. Nagender explains that stammering, also known as stuttering, is nothing but disfluency in normal flow of speech. People with such a condition are unable to speak as fluently as other people. Also, sometimes people who stammer while speaking, do not face problems while singing. Therefore, it is to be understood if stammering occurs while speaking or singing. 98% of people face stammering in speech.
Stammering is a highly variable disorder and can vary from person-to-person and place-to-place. Some of its causes include:
- Genetics
Sometimes, the stammering problem may be passed on from a parent to their child through their genes. - Imitation
Imitating other people can also cause the problem of stuttering in children. If a child tries to imitate or mimic a person who stutters, chances are that he/she too may develop the same problem over time. - Stress
Psychological stress can also cause speech disorder and affect the way a person speaks in stressful situations such as interviews. - Neurological Problems
Sometimes, accidents can cause brain injuries, as a result of which, the specific part of the brain responsible for the speech is damaged and speech disorders may develop. - Inferiority Complex
Sometimes, inferiority complexes can also cause such a disorder. If a child is looked at differently or mocked by his/her classmates or if he/she is scolded often by parents or teachers, they are likely to develop a fear and face inability to speak fluently.
At What Age It May Occur?
The disorder mostly develops during childhood or adolescence. Our expert says “Sometimes, during the language acquisition process, children from 2.5 to 4 years of age may stutter, which is called normal non-fluency. Parents must understand that at this age, the child should not be stressed or corrected forcefully and the stammering will go away by itself. However, if the problem persists after 4 years of age, parents should not delay in consulting an expert and qualified speech language pathologist (SLP)”.
It is to be understood that if speech is not corrected during childhood, it cannot be treated completely later in life. Some amount of stammering will always be there. Therefore, early recognition of the speech disorder and its correction is very important.
What Happens?
The only and best way to treat this speech disorder is through speech therapy. Dr. Nagender explains that generally, people stammer at the initial letter of a word or a syllable. There can be:
- Repetition - “P-p-p-p-pen”
- Prolongation - “mmmmother”
- Pausing - “I am reading a (pause) book”
- Repetition of phrases - “I am… I am… studying”
- Adding sounds or words in between sentences - “I (umm) am going to (umm) play”
How Can It Be Treated?
Such problems can be addressed via various speech therapy techniques. Some of these techniques are:
- Exercising airflow technique
- Breathing exercises
- Relaxation exercises
- Finger tapping exercise
- Prolongation technique
- Minimal pair therapy
“Each therapy session lasts for around 40-45 minutes and the stammering is usually corrected within 20-40 sessions. However, one must practice the techniques taught in therapy sessions at home as well as while speaking” he says. Furthermore, if the techniques are not practised by the person at personal level i.e. apart from the therapy sessions, relapse and regain of the disorder can occur. “Therefore, every parent must be aware of their child’s speech. Instead of being glued to smartphones, they should initiate conversation with their children and closely observe how they speak. Mostly stammering occurs along with misarticulation and parents should pay attention to it and consult an SLP”.
Therefore, detection and correction of this speech disorder at an early age or during childhood can treat the problem completely with the help of specific therapies. Otherwise, if the treatment is delayed, one may have to live with it for their entire life. Also, normal people should be made aware about speech disorders and people who stutter should neither be mocked nor neglected. They should be treated equally. Apart from this, one must encourage communication and be patient when a stutterer speaks or takes time to communicate.
