Carolyn Murphy, age 11, of Whittier, N.C., for her question:
WHAT CAUSES SOME PEOPLE TO STUTTER?
A word used interchangeably with stuttering is stammering. Both indicate a nonfluency of speech. The problem is characterized by interruptions in the flow of words and an inability to articulate certain sounds. There is also the repetition of certain sounds of speech.
A person who stutters sometimes finds his speech is explosive, sometimes slow and often has hesitations. His difficulty is aggravated by situations that build up his self consciousness or fear.
It is estimated that more than 3 million children now going to school in the United States have speech difficulties that are serious enough to handicap them in their class work.
One in every 17 adults is said to have speech difficulties, while seven out of every thousand is said to be a stutterer.
What causes stuttering? The experts can't agree, although they generally believe it is a symptom of emotional conflict, probably going back in family relationships to early life. Many speech experts believe the problem starts in preschool years when some hesitation in speech is normal. The first problem can be with overanxious friends or parents who interrupt or correct a child when he is talking. If a child becomes aware of his hesitation, he may worry about it and make the problem more serious.
Other experts believe that stuttering may come from some very slight physical defect which is related to muscular co ordination. They feel that certain people are more likely to stutter under certain kinds of stress.
Still other experts suggest that stuttering starts with a related speech disorder called cluttering, where a person speaks at breakneck speed in a very disorganized way, with many sounds slurred or left out. The clutterer often is delayed in learning to speak and usually has a family history of stuttering and cluttering.
Most stuttering problems can usually be corrected with speech therapy given by an expert.
Treatment for the stutterer is much more successful today than it was just'a few years ago. Parents are also told how they can help prevent its occurrence by speaking slowly and simply to young children, and listening with attention when they speak. Trained and experienced speech therapists can solve most of the problems now.