Today is "WORLD STAMMER'S DAY".
Stammering is a common
speech problem in humans, it involves the repetition of sounds or syllables –
such as saying ‘mu-mu-mu-mummy’, prolonging sounds – for example 'mmmmmmummy', pausing
or 'blocking' – when a word gets stuck or doesn't come out at all.
It usually occurs at the beginning of speech, and people will often avoid certain
words or speaking situations to try to hide it.
We all have the capacity to stammer if pushed far enough. This may happen
during a very stressful interrogation say; in a police station, talking to emergency
services on the telephone, or trying to respond to a particularly agile and
aggressive person during a conversation. It could also result from fear.
Stammering varies in severity from person to person. A person might find
that they have periods of stammering followed by times when they speak
relatively fluently.
Stammering (also
refered to as stuttering) is a relatively common speech problem in childhood
but can also persist into adulthood.
Stammering can be
categorized into two: Developmental and Acquired
- Developmental
stammering is the
most common and so a lot of people are familiar with. It develops during
childhood as a child is first learning how to speak.
- Acquired
or late-onset stammering occurs in older children and adults. This could be a result of severe
head injury, stroke, or progressive neurological disease (a type of
disease that affects the nervous system). It can also be caused by certain
drugs or medication, or psychological or emotional trauma.
As much
as stammering has existed, the exact cause is still unclear especially for
developmental stammering, although science has been able to prove that the
wiring of the brain involved in speech may be a cause if the brain is wired
differently.
Studies
have shown differences in the structure and functioning of the brain of people
who stammer compared with most other people who don’t.
In
young children, the wiring of the brain is still developing, which may be why
many children eventually 'grow out' of stammering and why it is usually easier
to treat children while they are still young.
Genes
are also thought to play a role in many cases of stammering, as research shows
that two in every three people who stammer have a family history of the
condition. This suggests that the genes a child inherits from their parents
might make them more likely to develop a stammer.
Research
has identified several genes that may contribute to stammering that runs in
families, although exactly how these genes lead to the condition is currently
unknown.
It is a good practice to visit a
speech and language therapist (SLT) for an assessment if necessary when you
discover you stammer or even your child does. This would go a long way helping
out in your social or work life.
These are some common signs you
need to be worried about to detect stammer, below is a list of common signs
and symptoms associated with stuttering:
Problems starting a word, phrase or
sentence
- Hesitation before certain sounds have to be uttered
- Repeating a sound, word or syllable
- Certain speech sounds may be prolonged
- Speech may come out in spurts
- Words with certain sounds are substituted for others (circumlocution)
- Rapid blinking (when trying to talk)
- Trembling lips (when trying to talk)
- Foot may tap (when trying to talk)
- Trembling jaw (when trying to talk)
- Face and/or upper body tighten up (when trying to talk)
- Some may appear out of breath when talking
- Interjection, such as "uhm" used more frequently before attempting to utter certain sounds, among others.
Apart from the fact that those
affected experiences repetitive pronunciations, stammers are generally ok,
healthwise, they are just like those who do not stammer – in fact if they don’t
speak you will never know their status.
Bottom line, no need for stigmatization
or name calling.
Show some love.
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