What Are the Signs of Stammering?

Stammering, commonly referred to as stuttering, is a speech disorder characterized by a prolonged or repeated phrase, word or syllable throughout a person's speech. Often, a person who stammers will not make any sound at all, during certain syllables. Stammering is common for children learning to speak; however, there are some signs of stammering that indicate a child will not outgrow the disorder on his own.

Signs and Symptoms

• The symptoms of a person with a stammering disorder are repetition of words and syllables and difficulty beginning a phrase, word or sentence. Often, the speech difficulties of stammering occur with physical signs such as tension, rapid eye blinks, and tremors in the mouth area. A person who stutters often experiences blocking, which occurs when the mouth is open and formed to say a word, but there is no sound. Another sign of a stammering disorder is an interjection -- such as "like" or "um" -- repeated continually.

Cause

• The exact cause of stammering is unknown, however, there are several factors which occur in relation to stammering. An unknown, underlying genetic problem may cause stammering, as the speech disorder tents to run in families. In some cases, stammering may be the result of a neurological problem in which the signals between the nerves and the brain are not working correctly. Stammering may also occur due to a language developmental delay. Stammering is also know to increase in situations where a person is stressed, tired, feels self-conscious or pressured.

Diagnosis

• To diagnosis stammering, a speech language pathologist will take a medical history, and ask several question specific to the stammering, such as when the stammering occurs and at what times or in what type of situations the stammering mostly occurs. The answers to these questions are essential in the overall evaluation of the problem. Typically, a diagnosis of stammering occurs due to the combination of several factors. This might include situations where there is a family history of stammering or other speech disorders or it the stammering has occurred for more than six months. Diagnosis might also be due to parental concerns about the stammering.

Treatment

• At this time, there is no cure for stammering. In most cases, a child will naturally outgrow stammering in later stages of language development. If a child does not outgrow the stammering, speech therapy is useful for teaching techniques for self-monitoring, controlling and reducing stammering. Gradually, a person will learn the ability to speak in a smooth speech pattern.