Stammering, or stuttering, is a relatively common speech problem that occurs in childhood and can persist into adulthood.
Stammering is characterised by the repetition of sounds or syllables (such as saying ‘mu-mu-mu-mummy’), prolonging sounds (mmmmmmummy) and pausing or 'blocking' for a long time between words.
It usually occurs at the beginning of speech, and individuals will often avoid words or speaking situations to try to hide it.
It varies in severity from person to person. Also, a person will find they have periods of severe stuttering followed by times of relatively fluent speech.
Types of stuttering
There are two main types of stammer:
- Developmental stammering. This is the most common type of stammering, which many people are familiar with. It develops during childhood as a child is learning to speak, usually beginning around the age of three-and-a-half years.
- Acquired or late-onset stammering. This can occur in adults as the result of a severe head injury, stroke or progressive neurological disease (disease affecting the nerves). It can also be caused by certain drugs or medication, or psychological or emotional trauma.
The rest of this article will focus on developmental stammering.
How common is developmental stammering?
Stammering is common in young children. Estimates for developmental stammering vary, but it is expected that 5-8% of pre-school children will experience a phase of non-fluent speech.
The condition is more likely to persist in males than females, which is why there are four times more men than women with a stammer. The reason for this is unclear.
All ethnic groups are affected equally by stammering.
The causes of stammering are still uncertain, but evidence suggests that inheriting certain genes may increase a child's likelihood of developing a stammer.
Outlook
About three in four cases of developmental stammering in pre-school children will resolve without treatment.
One out of four will need treatment to prevent a persistent stammer developing. At this pre-school stage, treatment is still highly successful in resolving stammering completely, especially if it is received as soon as possible. Stammers are much less likely to be totally eliminated in children aged six or seven or more.
A speech and language therapist is qualified to determine which children are likely to recover naturally and which need treatment, so an early referral is essential.
Without adequate treatment, about 1% of older children and teenagers will have developed a persistent stammer. It is estimated that 1 in every 100 adults has a stammer.
Some adults find that their stammering improves as they get older. Many will have learnt to control their stammer for most of the time, although certain ‘triggers’ may make them stammer more, such as stress or having to speak in public.
There are many different speech and language approaches for stammering, which can help people improve their fluency and communication skills.
Electronic ‘anti-stammering’ devices are also available and can be helpful. These are designed to help people control their voice by providing sound feedback. For more information, see Stammering - treatment.
