Stuttering

 

The number of people who stutter in the world is estimated at over 600,0000. Stuttering is a disorder affecting fluency. It is characterized by the involuntary repetition of words, syllables, and prolongations, stops, and blocking of sounds.

To know! A parent who stutters is three times more likely to have a child who stammers.

What is Stuttering?

It is a speech disorder that affects the flow of speech. Relatively frequent, this defect affects the normal course of speech and is characterized by difficulty initiating certain syllables without any organic cause for the disorder having been detected. Normal speech speed is estimated to be around 90 words per minute. In the person who stutters, the fluency of pronunciation is altered. More than 650,000 people are said to be affected by this speech disorder. The origins of stuttering are multiple: heredity, damage to the nervous system, emotional trauma, lack of self-confidence. You can recover from this disorder with Therapies and with the help of telehealth psychiatry services.

Causes of Stuttering

The stuttering is said to have a genetic origin essentially. Speech disorders are thought to be due to a dysregulation of the expression of dopaminergic receptors responsible for transmitting nerve messages. This results in anatomical and functional differences in the brain's specialized regions (right hemisphere and left hemisphere). From the 1930s to date, nine genes linked to stuttering have been identified. Mutated genes that directly affect neurometabolic. The mechanisms of action have still not been identified.

To know! The term dopaminergic comes from the word dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (biochemical molecule) that modulates and controls motor functions in the brain.

In addition to the genetic (persistent developmental stuttering) and neurological components, stuttering is closely linked to a more or less profound psychic or mental imbalance (acquired stuttering) and inadequate quality of life in adults.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

The stuttering subject is the victim of involuntary and uncontrollable speech disfluencies, which push him to exert an additional effort on the joint. Speech disorders that prevent free and spontaneous oral expression.

Symptoms are audible and manifest as:

·         Blockages and extensions in speech

·         Vocal breath pauses

·         Involuntary jerky repetitions of the first syllable

·         Involuntary repetitions of a word and a phoneme

Certain disorders associated with more pronounced stuttering can parasitize the speech; one speaks then of stuttering by inhibition:

·         Stiffening of the muscles (flabbergasted speech)

·         Tightening of the jaw and neck

·         Loss of eye contact during speech

·         Blinking eyes

·         The hatred of the eyeballs

·         Respiratory spasms

·         Redness and sweating

There is another type of stuttering that manifests itself as omission and substitution of words. We speak of masked stuttering or internalized stuttering. People who stutter then try to hide their difficulty in constructing a fluid speech.

To know! To classify a person as a stutterer, the disorder must be at least three months old.

Therapies

Different psychoanalytic, neuropsychological, and behavioral approaches are implemented to ensure the care of the stuttering patient. Care that is essentially based on follow-up by a speech therapist.

On the other hand, psychotherapies are commonly used and allow faster action by taking into account different factors:

·         Body/psyche

·         Conscious / unconscious

·         Individual/family

·         Past / present

There are Different Types of Psychotherapy:

·         Hypnosis: involves the state of consciousness of the person.

·         Cognitive-behavioral therapies: consist of modifying the patient's thought patterns consciously.

·         The Lidcombe program: intended for the youngest, it is based on positive reinforcement and operative conditioning by establishing a structured framework daily.

·         The Camperdown program: a doctor approach that relies primarily on self-assessment.

Who are The People at Risk?

Heredity is the main risk factor for stuttering. According to statistics, a parent with stuttering is three times more likely than a person without stuttering to have a child with the same disorder. On the other hand, stuttering occurs mostly during childhood, between 3 and 7 years old. Be careful; many children can, at some point, start to stutter during language acquisition. But most of the time, this learning gap will resolve itself naturally. You should also know that boys are more affected by this speech disorder.

How is The Diagnosis of Stuttering Established?

Generally, parents, alerted by their child's pronunciation difficulties, consult their doctor or a speech therapist. Sometimes, the teaching staff brings up a possible language disorder and advises a specialist consultation. In the majority of cases, the diagnosis of stuttering is quickly confirmed by the healthcare professional. Depending on the type of stuttering, it will then recommend appropriate rehabilitation.

How is Stuttering Treated?

In the context of stuttering, we talk more about speech rehabilitation than treatment. Thus, the disorder's management will depend on its typology, the age of the subject, or even his family history. The earlier the stuttering is dealt with, the greater the chances of the pronunciation defect's complete disappearance. Therefore, it is essential to consult quickly, especially since only a few sessions can be enough to solve the problem. For the most severe and resistant disorders, intensive courses in specialized centers offer people with stuttering strategic tools allowing them, in the long term, to control their disorder.