What is Stuttering?

There are two main types of stuttering; Developmental and Neurogenic

Developmental: 

• Starts in young childrens’ speech as they are learning to talk and make sounds

• Most common form of stuttering

• Some scientists and clinicians believe that developmental stuttering happens when children’s speech and language skills can't meet their verbal demands

Neurogenic: 

• Can happen after a stroke, head trauma, or other type of brain injury that creates damage in the speech section of the brain

The act of stuttering happens when the muscle movements we use to talk (breathing, phonation, and articulation) are disrupted. When they are disturbed, it causes stuttering and disfluencies in someone's speech. Stuttering happens almost subconsciously, so it is really hard to avoid stuttering moments and talk fluently. It may seem like such a minor inconvenience; many non-stutterers just say “well just say it,” but stutterers literally can’t. There are ways to control stuttering and make speech more smooth but it doesn't cure it or make it go away for good. 

If you meet someone who stutters, they may stutter more or less in that particular moment than usual, so the next time they talk they might be a lot more fluent, and vice versa. The important thing is to never judge someone’s intelligence by the way they speak, because what comes out is not always what the person was trying to say. Many stutterers are used to switching up their words in the middle of the sentence to avoid stuttering or a block. For example, when at a restaurant, (I have experienced this, more detail in My journey section) someone who stutters want to order a burger, but when the waiter come to them, they get this feeling that they know they are going to have a stuttering moment on the "b" sound so at the last moment they just order a salad. Many stutterers can relate to this; not always saying/getting what they want because they have this inevitable feeling of what is happening next. Many stutterers avoid certain words, not just because of their stutter but the other impact it has; mentally and emotionally. Stuttering comes with tension in the mouth, neck, and lips so it just becomes uncomfortable, which results in people changing what they are trying to say. 

Many stutterers are fearful that they are going to be judged by the way they speak. Others are more confident, but it takes a lot of time to finally feel comfortable and confident enough to speak. Talking is something many people take for granted; they don’t know how much effort it takes for someone with a stutter or other speech disability to simply say their own name.

Now that you understand the basics of stuttering and what goes on in a stutterer’s mind, understand that we are just like everyone else, only with a slightly different way of speaking.