Stuttering can be a chronic and debilitating life-long affliction and affects all age groups, and sexes. Stuttering is a difficult problem, and one that has not yet seen a complete cure being realised.
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That said, effective treatments have been developed that minimises the stuttering behaviour. Stuttering or (stammering), can be defined as interruptions to the fluency and flow of speech, where the person knows what he or she wishes to say, but cannot because they are experiencing either: (a) involuntary repetitions of syllables, especially when starting words, (b) involuntary prolonging of sounds and (c) unintentional blocking of their speech.
It can also involve unnatural hesitations, interjections, restarted or incomplete phrases, and unfinished or broken words can also be part of the problem.
As a consequence, the person who stutters can become very embarrassed at the moment of the stutter and some may develop fears of social settings where they have to speak. Stuttering is a problem of all known cultures and peoples and it generally begins in early childhood and is therefore considered a childhood disorder.
The prevalence of stuttering is believed to be around 1 per cent, with males more likely to stutter than females by a factor of four.
Whilst the cause or causes of stuttering is still unconfirmed, those who stutter usually have a family history of stuttering, that is to say that genetics can play a role in a person developing a stutter. Stuttering occurs when the speech-motor cortex is developing.
The treatment for stuttering varies. Should a parent believe their child is beginning to stutter, the parent should seek professional help from a speech pathologist who may recommend the Lidcombe Program as a form of treatment.
For adolescents and adults the treatment may include multi-day intensive speech restructuring programs using the Smooth Speech method of treatment.
It is regrettable that government funding for multi-day intensive programs is almost non-existent throughout Australia, with health departments simply not funding this kind of treatment (even though this form of treatment is considered to be the Gold Standard form of treatment.
The Australian Speak Easy Association (ASEA), the peak body representing stutterers in Australia for almost 40 years, is celebrating Stuttering Awareness Day on October 22. Its website is speakeasy.org.au.
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