Stuttering Research Paper

1433 Words3 Pages

Stuttering or stammering is a speech disorder characterized by involuntary
repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, and phrases, or by frequent
hesitations and silent pauses that disrupt the normal flow of speech, resulting in the
stutters' inability to produce sounds (WHO ICD-10, 2010). Besides involuntary sound
repetition, stuttering also includes the abnormal hesitation or pausing before speech
(referred to by stutterers as "blocks"), and the prolongation of sounds. Stuttering can
vary in severity, from barely noticeable impediments to severe symptoms that hinder
oral communication. The number of men who stutter is approximately four times as
much as that of women, encompassing 70 million people worldwide, of about 1% of …show more content…

As a stutter himself, the writer writes this paper to
gain an insight into this speech disorder. This paper will discuss the causes of stuttering,
its effect on a person’s feeling and attitudes, and different treatment programs to
improve one’s fluency.
2. Findings
2.1. Causes of stuttering
No single, definite cause of stuttering is known. Various theories and hypotheses5
suggest that stuttering is caused by multiple factors (Gordon, 2002). According to the
British Stammering Association, “Stammering is at root a neurological condition, based
in the wiring of the brain. Studies have shown differences in the anatomy and
functioning of the brain of those who stammer compared with most other people."
Neuroimaging studies using PET scans or functional MRI in non-stutterers show that
both hemispheres of the brain are active but that the left hemisphere may be more active.
In contrast, people who stutter have higher activity on the right hemisphere and relative
deactivation of the left hemisphere auditory areas (Bloodstein & Ratner, 2008).
Hereditary factors are also widely considered to play a role in many cases of stuttering.
Stuttering tends to run in families, as someone who has a stuttering relative is likely

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