Understanding Stammering or Stuttering
What is Stammering or Stuttering?
Dysfluency is the medical term for having difficulty in producing smooth fluent speech. More commonly referred to as stammering in the UK or stuttering in the USA they all describe the same condition which is a speech impediment.
It’s believed to affect around 3 million adults and between 5 and 10 percent of children. As children learn to speak at different ages dysfluency can often be a normal part of their speech development and as their speaking abilities aren’t yet fully developed they can grow out of it as these improve.
However if the condition persists and is left untreated it can carry on into their adult lives. This can have a negative effect on their self-esteem and confidence, which can cause anxiety especially in social settings, as they can feel frustration as they struggle to speak in full sentences.
Causes
It’s not fully understood what causes people to stammer or stutter but it affects more males than females, and you are more likely to develop the condition if a family member has dysfluency. Delayed childhood development, having parents with high expectations of their children can also be contributory factors,