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Stuttering - Overview

Alternative Names

Children and stuttering; Speech disfluency; Stammering

Definition of Stuttering:

Stuttering is a speech disorder in which sounds, syllables, or words are repeated or last longer than normal. These problems cause a break in the flow of speech (called disfluency).

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

About 5% of children (1 out of every 20 children) aged 2 - 5 will develop some stuttering during their childhood. It may last for several weeks to several years.

For a small number of children (less than 1%), stuttering does not go away and it may get worse. This is called developmental stuttering, and it is the most common type of stuttering.

Stuttering tends to run in families. Genes that cause stuttering have been identified.

There is also evidence that stuttering may be a result of some brain injuries, such as stroke or traumatic brain injuries.

Stuttering may rarely be caused by emotional trauma (called psychogenic stuttering).

Stuttering is more common in boys than girls. It also tends to persist into adulthood more often in boys than in girls.

Reviewed last on: 5/13/2010
Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Prasse JE, Kikano GE. Stuttering: an overview. Am Fam Physician. 2008;77(9):1271-1276.

Stuttering. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. NIDCD. NIH Pub. No. 10-4232. Updated March 2010. Reviewed OCtober 2008.

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