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What is Stuttering?

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Stuttering (or stammering) is a speech disorder which consists of:

  • repetitions

  • prolongations

  • blocks

  • secondary behaviours (eye blinks, jaw jerks etc)

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These behaviours prevent the smooth forward flow of speech. Stuttering typically begins when a child is 2-3 years of age and can affect up to 11% of young children (Reilly et al., 2013). We currently do not know the exact cause of stuttering, however, genetics and environmental factors are believed to play a part. Although stuttering can spontaneously recover without treatment, it is still difficult to predict who will recover spontaneously and who will need treatment.

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If you speak more than one language, stuttering is usually present in all the languages spoken. However, the severity of stuttering can vary across the languages. Treatment is still effective even if you are bilingual or multilingual (Lim et al., 2008; 2015).

 

Stuttering is best treated before 6 years of age.

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Please consult a speech therapist if you are concerned about your child’s / your stuttering.

Reilly S, Onslow M, Packman A, Cini E, Conway L, Ukoumunne OC, Bavin EL, Prior M, Eadie P, Block S, Wake M. (2013). Natural history of stuttering to 4 years of age: a prospective community-based study. Pediatrics, 132(3), 460.

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Lim, V. P. C., Lincoln, M., Chan, Y. H., & Onslow, M. (2008). Stuttering in English-Mandarin bilingual speakers: The influence of language dominance on stuttering severity. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 51, 1522-1537. 

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Lim, V. P. C., Lincoln, M., Onslow, M., & Chan, Y. H. (2015). English-only treatment of bilingual speakers who stutter: Generalization of treatment effects from English to Mandarin. Int J Lang Commun Disord, 17(5), 431-440.

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