Stuttering

Definition

Stuttering (also known as ‘stammering’) is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is disturbed. Some examples of speech disturbance are when the “flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak” (F.A.Q. Stuttering Facts and Information, 2017). There are no known causes for stuttering, however, stuttering can be categorized into two different types: developmental and neurogenic.

Developmental stuttering occurs mostly in young children when “while they are still learning speech and language skills. It is the most common form of stuttering. Some scientists and clinicians believe that developmental stuttering occurs when children’s speech and language abilities are unable to meet the child’s verbal demands” (nidcd, 2017).
Neurogenic stuttering, which is less common than developmental, may possibly occur “after a stroke, head trauma, or another type of brain injury. With neurogenic stuttering, the brain has difficulty coordinating the different brain regions involved in speaking, resulting in problems in the production of clear, fluent speech” (nidcd, 2017).

Stuttering can make simple daily tasks difficult for an individual because of their inability/difficulty communicating their ideas to their peers (ex. “talking on the telephone or talking before large groups”) (asha, 2017). This kind of disability can make an individual feel isolated or embarrassed due to their stutter and may place ‘participation restrictions’ upon themselves. ‘Participation restrictions’ are when an individual becomes concerned about how peers might react to their stutter and, because of that, they find ways to limit their participation; some “may try to hide their disfluent speech from others by rearranging the words in their sentence (circumlocution), pretending to forget what they wanted to say, or declining to speak” (asha, 2017).

Instructional Strategies

One instructional strategy is to manage your own speech when addressing a student with a stutter: when talking to a student, “speaking slowly will encourage the student who stutters to slow down. If you speak too rapidly or with language structure and vocabulary that is above the student's level of comprehension, you are setting unrealistic goals and causing frustration when the student attempts to respond to you verbally” (Mazzuca-Peter, 1998).

Also, provide certain assignments that don’t have anything to do with speaking. For example, maybe include a written assignment instead of an oral assignment or an art project. Other ways that can help students with a stutter - especially when trying to boost their self-esteem - are to:

“Try to word questions so that the student can reply without long, involved answers.

Try to give chances for leadership in recreational activities.
Try to assign definite classroom duties which do not require speech responses” (Mazzuca-Peter, 1998).

It is important, as an instructor, you must focus on what is being said. Students with a stutter are incredibly self-conscious of their speech patterns, so (even though you acknowledge their disability and their struggles with it) just listening to them talk - despite their heavy stuttering - and letting them finish independently without assisting them will build a student's confidence. Never “fill in words when students who stutter are "stuck". By doing so, you provide a crutch and increase their feelings that they cannot talk for themselves” (Mazzuca-Peter, 1998). Always consult the school's Speech-Language Pathologist when trying to come with ideas for your stuttering student; they will provide good tutoring and ideas, as well as being able to assist the student through speech therapy and speech management strategies.

Useful Websites

“Stuttering.” National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 7 Sept. 2017, https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/stuttering

“F.A.Q. Stuttering Facts and Information.” Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter, The Stuttering Foundation, https://www.stutteringhelp.org/faq

“Stuttering.” American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, ASHA, https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering.htm

Mazzuca-Peter, Julie. “The Student Who Stutters - A Teacher's’ Guide.” Student Who Stutters, 11 May 1998, https://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/InfoPWDS/studentwhostutters.html

Rind, Ellin, and Patricia Rind. “The Stutterer in the Classroom.” Stutterer in the Classroom, Stuttering Resource Foundation, http://www.isastutter.org/CDRomProject/teacher/stutter_classroom.html

Research

Costa, Daniel, and Robert Kroll. “Stuttering: an Update for Physicians.” CMAJ, Vol. 162, No. 13, 27 June 2000, p. 1-7.

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/162/13/1849.full.pdf

Within this article, Costa and Kroll go into detail about the diagnosis of stuttering, the signs and symptoms that come with each different type of stutter (like developmental stuttering or persistent developmental stuttering), and the side effects that this disorder can have on an individual overtime. By including extensive research on the neurological symptoms that stuttering can have on an individual and by comparing it to other disorders like tourette's syndrome and spastic dysphonia, Costa and Kroll use their research as a way to show how people can understand and overcome their stutter through different speech therapy methods and pharmaceutical treatments.

Drayna, Dennis, and Changsoo Kang. “Genetic Approaches to Understanding the Causes of Stuttering.” Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, BioMed Central, 18 Aug. 2011, https://jneurodevdisorders.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s11689-011-9090-7

Within this article, Drayna and Kang explain the inner workings of stuttering, like how certain genes and chromosome mutations can be linked to an individual’s stutter. Genes like GNPTG and NAGP are explored and how their mutations affect the lysosomal enzyme-targeting pathways within humans and how that can cause stuttering. The article also explains the concepts of familial stuttering and how the disorder can become hereditary.

Büchel, Christian, and Martin Sommer. “What Causes Stuttering?” PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, 17 Feb. 2004. http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020046

Within this article, Büchel and Sommer describe the origins of different types of stuttering (i.e developmental and persistent developmental) as well as who is affected by it, the common age groups that are affected by stuttering, and if it is considered a cognitive, sensory or motor disorder. Their research explores how stuttering can be caused by traumatic brain injury and how this type of disorder can distort the way an individual can process information within their brain, as well as how activities like choir singing and metronome reading can help an individual overcome their disorder over time.