What is stuttering?

“a temporary, involuntary interruption in the forward flow of speech, which may or may not be accompanied by physical tension, struggle behaviors, and negative feelings towards the act of speaking”

 

    • Stuttering is neurodevelopmental in nature with many different factors affecting its onset and persistence

    • Epigenetics (the way genes are expressed through internal & environmental demands) play a critical role in how stuttering develops and resolves

    • Note for the parents: you did not cause your child’s stutter.

    • Approximately 5-8% of preschoolers stutter, with about 80% of them experiencing what we call “spontaneous recovery”

    • The remaining children (who do not spontaneously recover) will continue to stutter in some capacity throughout their lifetime

    • Making up the 70 million people worldwide who stutter

    • Boys are 4x more likely to stutter than girls

  • 1) If there is a family history of stuttering

    2) If stuttering begins after age 3.5

    3) If stuttering persists for 6-12 months

    4) If there are other speech/language difficulties or delays

    5) If the environment is continually placing a high demand on the child’s communication system in multiple different areas. These are dependent on the factors relevant to the specific child.

 

  • Stuttering typically begins between the ages of 2-6, when neurodevelopment is at its peak. Support for children in this age range centers around the demands that are causing an imbalance in the child’s communication system. With the help of the parent, balancing the demands on and capacities for communication moves the child toward optimal fluency.

  • Around age seven, the “critical period” for development ends and peer acceptance becomes more socially important. Oftentimes, awareness of stuttering increases here; there are many preschool children that are aware they stutter, but not to the same degree. However, it is not the awareness we have to worry about it, it is the negative feelings (frustration, embarrassment, nervousness to speak) that can come with awareness that we want to prevent. This age range is where we begin to learn about stuttering, because knowledge is power. And we turn that power into communication confidence.

  • Multiply the desire for peer acceptance and social pressure by 10 in adolescence. In this stage, stuttering is supported very similarly to how it is in adulthood, depending on the teens maturity level, curiosity, and stuttering impact. We can sometimes see stuttering begin in the adolescent years as well.

  • 1. Negative speech therapy experiences
    Were your past speech therapy experiences focused primarily on “fixing” your stutter? You may still be carrying the message that if you just work hard enough, your stutter will eventually go away. Instead, therapy can help you work with your stutter—building confidence, reducing struggle, and feeling more comfortable as a speaker.

    2. New life experiences on the horizon
    Starting a new job, graduating, taking on a new role, or entering a new stage of life can bring up concerns about speaking and stuttering—even when you generally feel confident in your communication.

    3. A lifetime of coping
    Maybe you’ve spent years finding ways to make stuttering easier—or less noticeable. You might switch words, avoid certain situations, use fillers, pretend you forgot what you wanted to say, or push through moments of stuttering.

    These strategies can feel helpful in the moment, but if speaking also comes with tension, fear of being noticed, constant thoughts about stuttering, or significant mental energy spent managing your speech, there is a better way.

    Therapy can help you move through moments of stuttering with less struggle, less avoidance, and greater confidence in your ability to communicate.

Across the lifespan.

While the impact of and support for stuttering changes from person to person, it also may change with age.

 
 
 
 
 

Common Stuttering Myths:

Stuttering is often misunderstood. Take a look at some of the most common misconceptions about stuttering.

Yairi & Ambrose, 2013. Singer et al., 2021. Walsh et al., 2020.