Stuttering Myths
- Posted by spectrum
- On April 20, 2022
- 0
Stuttering is a fluency disorder which affects the flow of speaking. There are number of different types of stuttering moments, such as repetitions, prolongations and blocks, but all can impact a person’s ability to get their message across.
Stuttering is a condition that is fairly commonly represented in TV programs and movies. But how accurate are these portrayals?
Myth #1: Stuttering is caused by anxiety
Stuttering is not caused by anxiety and it shouldn’t be assumed that because someone is stuttering they must be feeling anxious. However, research has found that feelings of anxiety that make stuttering more severe and that people who stutter are more likely to experience social anxiety.
Myth #2: All dysfluencies are stuttering
We all have moments when we struggle to get our words out and may speak dysfluently however this does not mean we have a stutter.
Between the ages of 2 and 5 in particular, there are two types of dysfluencies or breaks in the flow of speaking. There are types that are part of typical development and are not of concern and there are types that are not part of typical development.
Typical dysfluencies
- Pauses between words (“I want to go… outside”)
- Repeating words with more than one syllable (“Mummy, mummy no”)
- Repeating a phrase (“I want I want I want to go”)
Atypical dysfluencies
- Repeating words with only one syllable (“I, I, I, I want to go outside”)
- Repeating a sound (“D-d-d-addy”)
- Drawing out a sound (“Mmmilk”)
- Pauses where no sound comes out (“I [block] do”)
- Signs of struggling to get words out, tension or eye-blinks and groping may also be signs of atypical dysfluencies
Myth # 3: There are no ways to treat a stutter
While there is currently no cure for stuttering, there are a number evidence-based and effective programs that have been found to reduce the severity of stuttering.
If you have concerns regarding your child’s fluency or stuttering-like behaviours, call our clinic today and we can organise a time for you to chat with one of our friendly and qualified Speech Pathologists.