Causes and risk factors
Stuttering is a developmental disorder. Other causes include brain trauma, brain abnormality, family history, neurogenic disorder [weak coordination of motor and sensory nerves], stress, and fear.
Clinical presentation
Patient presents with problems in starting communication or sentence, trembling lips, hesitation while speaking, repeating words to complete sentence, prolonged sounds. There is use of interjection words like ‘I mean’, ‘like’, ‘ummm’repetitively. The sounds are intentionally used to delay the initiation of word. Examples of stuttering include – “w –w- w –w where are you going?”; “my name is amaaaaaanda”; “I will see you …Ummm… you know..like… around…Ummm 6 pm”. There may be rapid blinking of eyes while speaking. Some people appear tensed while talking. Speech may be completely stopped or blocked. It results into a social stigma such as due to teasing in childhood. It has impact on daily activities such as talking in front people, or over phone. The person avoids his participation in social functions. Some people hide the disfluency by rearranging the words in a sentence [circumlocution], pretending to forget what he wanted to say, and limited talking.
Investigation
Medical history by the patient and psychological evaluation by the psychiatrist or psychotherapist helps in diagnosis. The diagnosis is done on basis of presence of following facts – positive family history of stuttering, stuttering continuous for 6 months, presence of other language disorders, strong fears. A Speech test is recommended. Sleep language pathologist [SLP] will diagnose the condition.
Treatment
Main treatment consists of Speech therapy. Fluency correction is required. Psychotherapy and counselling may be required which involves cognitive behavioural therapy that teaches different techniques to combat the problem. Individual and family therapy, parent child interaction techniques, parent training, social involvement, spending quality time with your children will also help in managing the condition. Special learning assistance must be offered to the child. Constant positive reinforcement helps to improve the patient’s self-esteem. Boosting and encouraging the child contribute further to the treatment. Few electronic devices are used which also help in managing stuttering.
Other Modes of treatment
The other modes of treatment can also be effective in treating stuttering. Homoeopathy is a science which deals with individualization considers a person in a holistic way. This science can be helpful in combating the symptoms. Similarly the ayurvedic system of medicine which uses herbal medicines and synthetic derivates are also found to be effective in treating stuttering.
